


Collaborations

by TaangyChocolate



Series: Magic Fam and Krampus [2]
Category: DCU (Comics), Justice Friends, Justice League - All Media Types, Justice League Dark (Comics), Powerpuff Girls
Genre: AWSM, F/F, From that PPG episode Members Only, M/M, The Powerpuff Girls, Townsville, i know the JF and AWSM were nicer at the end of that episode but let me be self indulgent, in which DC finally acknowledges Townsville, part of the krampus and magic foster fam stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 20:16:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17690186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaangyChocolate/pseuds/TaangyChocolate
Summary: When does DCeveracknowledge some of the less recognized but completely canon heroes in their universe? Pretty much never, and that's a shame.





	Collaborations

Martha shooed away her husband’s hand as she carefully typed up her ad. Clark's last visit left her with an exorbitant amount of expensive yarn and a promise to Bruce that she'd have fun (and to please make a few bat-themed designs if it wasn’t too much trouble).

And she had. It’d taken her a few tries to get used to some of the silkiest wool she had ever encountered, but she’d gotten the hang of it rather quickly. With them bundled up as winter stubbornly fought against spring working its way through Smallville, Martha really hadn’t had much reason to leave the house yet alone deal with putting on layer after layer. 

So she hadn’t. And by the time spring was beginning and the farm’s soil was just about ready to be tilled and loaded with corn seeds, the Kent household was full of all sorts of doilies and scarves, enough ponchos to shield a high school football team, a few dozen pairs of mittens and even an armful or three of tablecloths. Far more than the little farmhouse could hold, and a few too much for even the Wayne Manor to house.

She’d given a handful of doilies away to everyone and anyone she encountered in Smallville and donated most of the mittens to the elementary school. Clark suggested she sell the rest online and offered to help her set everything up when he came home for dinner that night. But while she wasn’t the most familiar with online sales Martha assumed she could figure it out herself. 

What she didn’t assume was that her ad would be answered so quickly. 

She clicked ‘submit’ and not even thirty seconds later someone knocked on the front door. Jonathan grunted as he stood, languidly touching her shoulder as he turned and made his way to the door, a surprised noise escaping him as the static in the air gave him a little shock. 

He opened the door and raised a brow at the cobalt-clad man in front of him, his eyes flicking from the long, spiked hair to the stylized E on the young man’s chest. Jonathan adjusted his jacket, raising a brow at the bits of electricity that sparked off the man. 

“Hello, Mr. Kent, I take it?” The mystery man greeted. He smiled at the older man, charming as can be, “I saw your ad just now. About the doilies and tablecloths?” 

Still a bit guarded (he knew how sly those villains Clark dealt with could be) the farmer nodded, “Yessir. My wife made them, Mister…?”

“Mr. Byte, if you’d please.”

Humming lowly at the name, Jonathan hesitated a second then opened the door to let the tall man in. Nothing seemed too off about him just yet, “You found your way to Smallville pretty quick.”

Shaking off any static that clung to him, Mr. Byte stamped his feet clean and stepped into the house. His pale blue eyes were practically white in the room’s light as he casually admitted, “I’m in desperate need of some better mouse pads.”

He motioned to the electrodes that made up his outfit, still firing away to leech and recycle all the electricity that seeped off of him. Jonathan clasped a hand on his shoulder despite the sight, pleased when he wasn’t shocked in any sort of way, “My Martha’s got quite a few extras, if you’d like to look around.”

They both turned their heads as said woman’s voice wafted down to them, “Who was at the door?”

Squeezing the man’s shoulder once and letting go to get his wife, Jonathan called out, “Mr. Byte. He’s--” Cutting himself off as Martha made her way to the living room, he put a hand on her back and introduced the two, “He’s here from your ad.” 

“Oh?” Her face was warm as she shook the electric man’s hand, her brows raising at his outfit and the sparks that jumped through his hair, “But I sent it off not a minute ago.”

Pale sapphire eyes were boastful, “I’m _very_ in tune with the internet and all that it’s about, Mrs. Kent,” Mr. Byte’s smile was genuine enough, but they both had the feeling he was holding back even more haughtiness than he was letting on. Still, the Kents were anything but inhospitable and Martha asked, “Oh, are you… connected to the internet?”

“Less connections more augmentations, per se,” Mr. Byte shrugged his shoulders as he tried to find the right words. “I’m an upgrade of man and electro-cellular micro net enhancements.” 

To demonstrate, he lifted his hand and showed the two how electricity bounced along his palm, the stream of energy pale yellow and its journey over his fingertips almost too fast to see. At Martha’s “Oh, my” and Jonathan’s curious hum Mr. Byte continued, “It’s tough but I can handle it, although there are some difficulties. Especially with the more civilian activities, you know.”

Two sets of blue eyes glanced up at the word ‘civilian.’ Martha ran a tongue over her teeth and decided to be blunt, “So you’re a superhero then?” Her eyes flicked to her husband, but Jonathan looked just as confused, some of his suspicion fading away the longer Mr. Byte talked without any sign of malevolence. They obviously knew of the Justice League and the teams that they occasionally paired up with. And while they were mainly aware of Bruce and Diana, Clark had never mentioned him or his skillset before… 

Whether his smile was to placate them or just because he was that open about his doings, Mr. Byte added, “My hero name is E-Male, Mrs. Kent,” The hero shrugged his shoulders, the smile turning into a sheepish if askew grin as he met Mr. Kent’s critical stare, “I don’t have any aliases, but most of AWSM call me Em.”

“Awesome?”

“A-W-S-M: The Association of Super World Men. I assume you’ve heard of us,” There was that haughtiness again, his words coming out as a statement rather than a question. Not to mention the group’s name on its own… 

His gaze flicking to his wife for a moment, Jonathan added, “Afraid not. Smallville doesn’t get much superhero activity, if the name wasn’t enough to guess.” Deciding to wait until his son visited to get more information, he pivoted the conversation to a safer topic, “But selling sure isn’t all too new to us.”

“Right, the doilies! Thanks for reminding me,” E-Male grinned at them, his attention going to the seamstress, “You mentioned they were wool?”

Taking charge at the look in her husband’s eye, Martha nodded and motioned for the superpowered man to follow her, “They’re all wool but feel like silk. We got some expensive samples from our son’s friend.” 

As he walked alongside her E-Male didn’t take too much stock in Jonathan going to the kitchen, recognizing but not paying any additional attention to him dialing the landline. If anything, he assumed the old man was going to gush to one of his farmer friends about talking with a member of the most famed collection of superheroes on the planet.

E-Male wasn’t surprised. It was nothing too par for the course whenever he met a fan. 

What _did_ surprise him was the sheer amount of wool that greeted him. Just two couch-sized boxes, but they overflowed with fancy stitching and circle patterns. “Dear Turing in Heaven!” He felt one of the tablecloths that hung over the edge, “This is quite impressive, Mrs. Kent. Quite impressive indeed!”

A spark of electricity jumped off his wrist, speeding along the stitches and back to his suit. His mouth falling open, the superhero looked down at the electrodes that he wore, firing off as they recycled every kilowatt of energy he just released. Folding the material in half he concentrated and let out another, stronger zap, this one channeling all the static in the room to the tablecloth. 

Once again, it picked up the energy as it darted across and deposited it all into his suit. His pale eyes blinked once, twice, thrice. “I’ve never seen wool act like this…” For the first time since he arrived E-Male seemed stunned, his widening grin one of pure excitement. 

It fit him rather nicely; far better than the arrogance he wore not a minute earlier. Moving up next to him (and being pleasantly surprised when no static jumped onto her) Martha drawled, “Of course, our Clark keeps friends with good taste.” 

She tilted her head at his fascination and added, “I have some old cotton ones if you’d like to see them as well?”

“No thank you, Mrs. Kent. Wool carries far more static than other fabrics,” He smiled at the old woman, not needing to mention his powers again and how helpful that’d be to his work. Not after what they’d both witnessed, “Whenever I can find some high quality products I try to get there and stock up as fast as I can, as you’d imagine.”

Martha clasped her hands together, “I know the pricing on the ad was a bit vague--”

He held up a hand, interrupting her before she could really start, “Money’s not an issue. And with something like _this_ ,” He held up the cloth, the fibers not even frizzing at the electricity that constantly surrounded him, “I’d be happy to overpay, at the very least.”

“Oh,” Letting out a hum, she asked, “Well what about travel? Running home with a box over each shoulder doesn’t seem comfortable.”

Mr. Byte chuckled, patting the cardboard closed,“I can circle the globe in seven seconds, Mrs. Kent.” He loosely measured the two boxes, quickly figuring out how he’d carry them in his arms, “It won’t take me long to get back to Osaka.”

Martha put a warm hand on his shoulder, “Well you shouldn’t do that on an empty stomach. Would you like to stay for dinner? I’ve got some ham and bean stew on the stove now.” Beaming at him, she nodded her chin towards the clock and added, “Our son Clark is coming by in a few minutes as well. I’m sure he’d love to meet a superhero as accomplished as yourself.”

E-Male paused at her compliments, considering her words for all of a few seconds. That cocky grin came back and he accepted, “I’d love to.”

\--

Clark Kent was many things. A superhero, a son, a friend to all, an alien, and an infinitely better cook than both Bruce and Diana (which wasn’t saying much but he loved bragging about it). But most importantly, he was _nice_. 

It aided with many aspects of his superhero and civilian life, but especially when dealing with meeting any other heroes he encountered. He had greeted this E-Male with a smile and completely played into his Clark routine, seamlessly hiding his surprise at the fact that the Association had somehow kept under the Justice League’s radar for so long. 

Dinner had gone without too many hitches. Sure, a spark of static made Ma knock over her glass of lemonade and he nearly blew his cover speeding to catch it. He and E-Male reached the glass at the same time, their hands sparking and distracting the electric hero from noticing the Kryptonian’s powers.

And yeah, their eyes lingered a beat too long at times and their shoulders brushed as Pa told them to pack up the doilies while he and Ma cleaned up. And, _sure_ , when the two heroes found themselves walking around the farm, they didn’t really try to keep any space between them as they strolled around the dirt. 

Coming up on the fence, E-Male leisurely leaned against the wood. The electromagnetic pulses on his skin glowed gold under the moonlight and he grinned at the man’s look. “You know,” Clark’s eyes looked him over as he subtly flexed, his hand brushing the supposedly human’s shoulder, “I’m not used to not being around technology all the time.”

E-Male smirked at him, shrugging to appear more noncommittal, “It’s pretty okay out here in the country.” He cleared his throat and looked out at the farm, “Lots of nice things to look at.”

The words slipped out before he could think, “Plenty of good things to eat too.”

Pale blue eyes snapped to him and Clark paused, silently rolling his jaw as he stared up at the moon. Leaning against the fence, he wriggled his nose as he glared out of his glasses, a blooming sort of horrified disbelief filling his chest as he realized what he just said. 

His internal screaming was interrupted as E-Male shifted next to him. A quiet pulse of static, one that oscillated through the air. It made the stray pieces of hay cling to Clark’s jeans and the alien’s eyes flick to E-Male. The electric man bit his lower lip and rolled it between his teeth, “I’d imagine so. Mrs. Kent is quite good at cooking.”

Biting the inside of his cheek, Clark hummed out, “Sorry you didn’t get any dessert.”

“It’s okay,” E-Male shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand through his sparked hair, “This is plenty sweet enough for me.”

\--

Approximately twenty one hours later Krunk raised a brow as he put his hands on his hips, squinting as he looked around Metropolis. Far too bright and far too crowded even for a city and _especially_ when compared to the relative peace that was their usual goings. Valhallen let out a yawn as he stepped up next to him, his grin wide as ever at how perfect the acoustics were in this town, “Pretty rockin’ city. See that place right there?”

He nudged the giant’s elbow, pointing to the S.T.A.R. Labs. His blonde locks blew as he excitedly spoke into the wind, “We could throw a _radical_ concert on that roof. Really get the place a-rolling, don’t ya think?” 

Krunk grinned back, a low chuckle rolling in his chest at the idea. Major Glory shook his head at the two, “Focus, gentlemen.” 

He looked over the all-too brief update from E-Male, narrowing his eyes as he tried to pin down exactly _where_ he was. Not quite Metropolis, not quite Smallville, not quite Washington D.C., not quite Osaka. Rubbing his chin, the leader of the Justice Friends brushed his cape aside and hummed, attempting to pinpoint the familiar bursts of electricity. 

Up above, a woman’s voice sounded as she cleared her throat, her low “Ahem” drumming in the air. 

All three looked up as a figure emerged from the skies, her hair blowing behind her as she hovered in front of them. One hand was on a shining, golden lasso that hung on her hip and the other was curled in a fist. Everything about her was strong and wary as her bright blue eyes stared them down, cautious as she sized them up.

Despite her obvious physical strength and imposing stature, not to mention her blatant superpowers, Major Glory wasn’t impressed. He simply raised a brow at the mystery woman, smirking at her feeble attempt at American colors. Where were her fifty stars? The thirteen stripes of red and white? Tiaras were for monarchies and red stars were for communists, not big-stick waving capitalists, damn it!

The Wonder Woman let her fists relax when none of the uninvited visitors gave any indication of wanting a fight, “Anything I can do to help you three?”

Her terse question was answered with a snort, Major Glory’s derision coming out loud and clear as he stepped in front of his teammates. He grinned up at her, condescending and half-paying attention to the barely-contained indignation in her eyes, “No, sweetheart. We’re just looking around. Men stuff, of course.”

A hum escaped at his words, her lips tightening in a thin line. Taking all three in, she spoke again, “I’ve never seen any of you in this city before. Or any city fielded by the Justice League.”

Valhallen stepped in at her unspoken question, a charming grin sliding on his face as he tried to placate her before the Major could irritate her again, “I’d imagine so, Lady. We don’t patrol these parts.” He tapped his guitar-axe, tilting his chin up in greeting, “Valhallen, by the way.”

His bout of friendliness worked and the Amazon nodded his way, “I’m Wonder Woman.”

“And this big guy,” The blond’s words were in time with patting the purple man’s shoulder, “Is the Infraggable Krunk. You’ve met Major Glory already--”

Said hero interrupted him, the five stars shining as he puffed his chest out, “We are the Justice Friends, the crème de la crème of the Association of Super World Men.” Pulling his cape over one shoulder, he leisurely looked her over one more time and waved his hand aside, “Now I’m sure you’re charmed but we have no time for autographs, we have a fellow hero to find. So if you’d let us men do our business…”

Diana squared her jaw and hovered another inch lower, her wide shoulders making sure that the arrogant hero didn’t try to sidestep her. Annoyed at him, but still deciding to be diplomatic to win him over (if not, well the other two were kind enough) she put out into the air, “I’m a hero as well. Tell me their name and I’ll help you find them.” 

Her hand motioned to the busy city below them, the automatic street lights starting to brighten up the ever-darkening dusk sky. Moving to try to meet Valhallen’s gaze beyond his hair she addressed him, figuring that he’d be the most reasonable of the trio, “Your presence is causing a bit of a commotion and we try to keep public disturbances at a minimum, especially during the daytime.”

Valhallen nodded, his hands behind his head as he stretched. Krunk sheepishly glanced down at the city below, spotting a few clusters of people who were staring, pointing up at the four. His gray eyes were slightly abashed as he gruffly explained, “Sorry, E-Male disappeared last night. Not like him at all.”

Major Glory held up his chin, the gold wings on his head gleaming in the dull light. His lips quirked down at Wonder Woman and he clicked his tongue, “E-Male is static electricity and man combined. He’s been a trusted member for years. We can find him without your help.” Diana completely ignored his words, aiming her question at Krunk as she clarified, “So only electric powers?” Her eyes flicked to the rooftops of the many buildings that made up Metropolis, “Or does he have a direct connection to the internet as well?”

Valhallen shrugged and answered for the bulky man, “The narrator always says he’s got ‘electro-cellular micro net enhancements’ whenever he’s introduced. He can circle the globe in a few seconds, but we’re not quite sure of all his capabilities beyond that, actually.”

Humming low at the news, Diana raised her chin and aimed a dazzling, reassuring smile their way. Her mind on Victor’s genius of all things technological and Bruce’s obsession of finding all threats, she pointedly kept her gaze on Valhallen as she explained, “The Hall of Justice will certainly be able to find him, I’m sure.” 

She tilted her chin towards the clouds, “It’s not too far of a trip and tonight has been pretty quiet, all things considered. We should get going now, then.” A sigh, “Before things pick up and before this E-Male is missing for any longer than needed.” Nodding more to herself than anything, her navy eyes were authoritative as she glanced back at the three, “Can all of you fly?”

Major Glory didn’t bother answering and Valhallen nodded for the both of them. Krunk sheepishly shook his head and the Amazon aimed a small smile his way, “I can carry you, if you’d prefer?”

He raised one thick brow at her suggestion but shrugged, a surprised yelp escaping as Wonder Woman lifted him up a second later. The heroine didn’t seem bothered by his size, shifting him until he balanced bridal style in her arms. She turned to the other two, commanding a firm “If you’d follow me” and taking off to the skies a second later. Krunk’s face was so wide-eyed it was almost comical, the giant unused to being picked up as if he weighed nothing. 

Major Glory furrowed his brows at the move, his face scrunching up and his stomach dropping as he realized her muscles were far larger than his, “By the rocket’s red glare…” He somehow kept his mouth from dropping open and Valhallen laughed, casually pulling out his guitar-axe and strumming a lazy tune to keep him afloat as he flew in the air, trailing after her.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Major Glory took to the skies, stone faced as Wonder Woman laughed at something Krunk said. His cerulean eyes rolled as she claimed to be one of the Justice League’s leaders and the student of Uncle Sam decided to stay quiet until he met the men in charge; surely they’d get progress done then. 

\--

The Hall of Justice loomed under the dim light as they approached, the building not quite dwarfing the others around it, but holding the strongest gravity. Krunk looked down as Diana let out a groan, her eyes zeroed in on the Hall’s entrance. 

The three visitors blinked at the sight of a tall, imposing figure draped completely in black. With the sunset fading he was practically invisible unless they focused on his silhouette. The Batman didn’t bother hiding in the shadows for once, his jaw set and his masked eyes boring a hole into Diana’s face as she landed and set Krunk down on his feet.

He didn’t speak but she knew that he knew of these heroes. It was obvious in his stance, almost as obvious as his distrust towards their presence. Diana stalked up to him before Major Glory could open his mouth, admonishing the Bat (and the hidden traps she knew were aimed for the Justice Friends) before he could start, “They’re _heroes_.”

Batman’s rebuttal was immediate, “They’re responsible for these power surges. They’ve brought half of D.C. to its knees and what? You expect me to not bring them in?”

“I expect you to listen until we find the man responsible.” Her shoulders squared, Diana narrowed her eyes at him, “You’re reasonable enough to know that locking them up and interrogating them for hours won’t do _anything_ for our current situation.”

Bruce’s chin rolled, his glare icy as he aimed it over her shoulder at the three. As he did Wonder Woman took stock of how dark the capital was, knowing that if Valhallen’s explanation was factual, that E-Male’s surges would be well strong enough to make even Cyborg pause, yet alone the inefficiency that was Washington D.C.

Diana took a breath in, “They’re doing the same as us.” She met his eyes behind his mask, her face stern, “One of their associates has electrical powers. We’re unsure of just how connected he is to the internet, but he let off an accidental surge. Either he’s in trouble or he’s causing trouble but that doesn’t matter--”

As if proving her words, the street lights flickered, fading halfway and then shining as bright as possible a second later. What sounded like a few blocks away, maybe even on the highway, a pair of cars crashed together. Wonder Woman ran a tongue over her teeth, “--We need to find him, B. Immediately.”

The cloaked crusader’s silent anger was hidden enough for Krunk and Major Glory to just assume he was stoic. But Valhallen immediately stepped in, prepared to defused his thinly veiled but perfectly shielded hostility towards his teammates. The blond poked a head past the princess’ shoulder, “His name’s E-Male.” His pacifying smile didn’t lessen the Bat’s glare but the god continued on, “We’ll help with whatever he messed up but we gotta get him back quick; Japan’s starting to riot and looks like D.C. isn’t doing much better.”

Being his friend, peer, and brief love interest for so long, Diana immediately noticed how surprised Bruce was that the blond immediately guessed what he was thinking (which, admittedly, wasn’t _too_ surprised, yet alone anything that the average hero could pinpoint. But the fact that he slipped enough for Diana to notice so easily spoke wonders). 

Even stranger, the Batman stiffened at the blond’s interruption but didn’t escalate in his usual way. No, he didn’t glare him into silence and then immediately turn to gather all the information at whatever cost. Instead, he merely stared at Valhallen for a long second and put his attention back to her, doing his best to stifle his mood before it could worsen. 

Diana knew that she should focus on getting Victor down there as quick as possible, just as she knew that they were on a time limit until the standstill brought rioting, so she hid her smile. But she couldn’t hide how she _knew_ that Valhallen was the sweetest (if not the best) of the bunch, although Krunk was nice enough. 

Emotional recognition and the Batman weren’t a pair that was usually coupled together, but that attempt of an introduction was… something. Diana knew she’d have to keep an eye on that.

But for now… 

Wonder Woman turned to the other two heroes, smiling at Krunk and ignoring the uncomfortable frown that had settled on Major Glory’s lips. Whether Valhallen’s presence made that much of a difference she didn’t know, but what she did love was the fact that Bruce was following her lead for once. Striding to the door, she decided to let them be and called over her shoulder, “I’ll get Cyborg over here as quickly as possible. We need to end this _now_.”

\--

Victor wasn’t even needed. Not even a half hour after she sent out the message to the main Justice Leaguers, Superman had flown in. Diana blinked as Clark sheepishly introduced her and Batman to E-Male, both men looking abashed at the chaos their short little getaway had brought.

Now, came the topic of discipline. 

Would Batman ever yield to the reassurances of an unknown hero and his recognized association? Major Glory sure thought he should. In fact, he boasted that the Justice Friends could handle all clean up in a far more effective and timely manner. 

Batman glared at the four, “The Justice League works on its own. Never have we ever gave way to any organization’s code of conduct and we are not starting now.” 

Major Glory snorted, “As if the Justice Friends isn’t the superior association! We can protect our cities far better without any outside influence.” His gaze flicked to Wonder Woman with the last two words; obviously, his panties-on-the-outside were still in a bunch that she truly was a leader of such an organization.

Valhallen leaned back as he watched the two argue, the words slipping out nonchalantly, “What about joining forces?”

At the astounded looks he got, the god shrugged, “We both fight crime and have ‘Justice’ in the name. Pretty easy to combine everything.” He grinned at Diana and held up his hands as if focusing on a banner, “The Justice League of Friends.”

“It would guarantee that basically the entire world has a connected superhero network…” Diana raised a brow at him, her navy gaze shooting to the rest of the trinity. Bruce looked as stoic as ever, his gaze flicking to Valhallen behind the mask. At least Clark seemed excited at the prospect. 

Cyborg rushed into the room, pausing at the air of the decision that he’d obviously just walked in. Diana jogged towards him and ushered him out, happy for the escape. She rolled her jaw in thought then spoke, her voice low as she asked, “How long would it take you to make another batch of communicators?”

“Four of them?”

She swallowed the air in her throat and focused on a group of pigeons that hung on the streetlight, “We may be joining forces.” 

His brows jumped nearly to his hairline and she shrugged one shoulder, “I know. But the Justice Friends protect the cities that we leave behind, it can be a good thing.” Before Victor could ask, “They are insinuating that there’s more of them, so once we decide this we’ll need a whole batch of upgraded communicators. Satelline connected--”

“And flawless enough that Batman doesn’t have a conniption,” Victor grinned down at her, nudging their shoulders together. “I know the drill, but are you okay?”

Her eyes finally left the birds and met his worried gaze as he noted, “I didn’t see much but that caped guy seemed to be pissing you off.”

“He founded the Association of Super World _Men_.”

Victor’s lips mouthed the letters, his disbelief at the acronym palpable. Shaking her head, Diana murmured, “I _know_.”

He nudged her shoulder, trying to lighten the mood, “...Guess AWSM isn’t that awesome?”

“Major Glory’s a jerk. The other three seem to be nice enough.” Tilting her chin up, she added, “Just gotta hope the rest of them are just as nice and completely opposite to how Major acts, huh?”

Cyborg ran a tongue over his teeth. They shared a look and he smiled, already planning how he’d get through this with as little annoyances as possible, “Riiiight.”

\--

Back in the Hall of Justice, Valhallen shined a bright, carefree smile as he leaned beside Batman, tossing a long lock of hair over his shoulder. The Dark Knight didn’t seem to mind the breach of personal space, his eyes flicking from the blond’s half-covered face and back to the screen. 

No, he was more focused on the logistics of… everything that had happened. The Association wasn’t the most meticulous when it came to files and listing capabilities and capacities, as nearly all were no more than half a page long. Certainly not as detailed as the Justice League kept their files, but a good enough start he supposed. 

As if sensing his slight frustration (although the headbang-loving hero was proving to simply be very aware of his moods in general), the god asked, “Anything I can do to help?” Valhallen shifted his guitar axe onto his back, the move raising his crop top an inch. Bruce watched him from his periphery, his lips tightening into a line as a hum escaped. 

Even though his mask covered his eyes Batman kept his gaze on Valhallen's face, not willing to have any mishaps arise. Rolling his jaw, he briefly wondered what shade made up the musician’s irises, and whether or not Valhallen had yet to wonder what color his own were, but forced the thought out as quickly as it came. Because the Batman was nothing but professional. Although that was, admittedly, being put to the test… 

The god of Ragnarock ‘n’ Roll let out an “Ah, here,” and leaned closer, their shoulders pressing together as he gently nudged Batman’s gloved hands aside, typing in some more details into Krunk’s file. 

Whether he _meant_ to brush the side of their hips together and let some of the signature black cape curl around near his leg, Bruce didn’t know.

Instead the knight he rolled his jaw and kept close as Valhallen inputted everything, his years of stoic superheroing the only thing keeping him from sighing in frustration. The Justice League of Friends was a thing now, and he _refused_ to even consider breaking his ‘no interteam dating’ policy. Hell, he refused to even entertain the thought that he may have to worry about that particular rule.

Valhallen craned his neck back and absentmindedly called out a question to Major Glory, the move showing off a guitar-pick sized scar on the (very kissable) crook of his neck. This time Batman couldn’t hold in his sigh. Damn diplomacy…

\--

Diana was a busy streak for the next five days as she went around the Hall, semi-introducing heroes to each other as they arrived. The Justice Leaguers who could attend were confused but when along with it, loosening up as she explained. Since, apparently, the newly formed Justice League of Friends didn’t just require the Justice Friends. No, the JF was already a part of the Association of Super World Men, both founded and heralded by Major Glory himself; therefore they _all_ had to be introduced, accounted for, and given their own personal file as well. All fifty six of them.

And as the last of the superheroes filtered in (five days after the meeting was called, she couldn’t help but grumble to herself), Diana lazily perched her hands on her hips and decided that they could mingle without her help. She rolled her shoulders, looking around the Hall of Justice. It was a mix of chaos and jokes and conversation everywhere. 

Valhallen was not so subtly trying to flirt with Bruce, who was trying to conceal how well it was working in his emotionally stunted ways, Clark and E-Male had snuck off who knows how long ago, Victor and Down Unda Mate were comfortably lounged against the fridge, talking about barbeque and projectiles. The rest of the League was getting acquainted with the rest of the Association, showing off as they noticed who had similar abilities with others. Every so often one of her fellow Justice Leaguers would angrily admonish their blatantly sexist jokes, but the Amazon didn’t bother with them yet. 

Honestly, all Diana wanted to do was get home, drink some apple cider and kiss her magician some more. But, diplomacy won out (as it always had too). 

Taking a deep breath, the Amazon strode to the center of the room. Batman glanced up at her as she did, nodding appreciatively as he set to work on digitizing everything he had access to. Putting her hands on her hips, Diana rubbed her thumb along the ridge of her lasso once and let out that breath. 

“Alright, everyone. Listen up!” 

As usual, every member of the Justice League present (sans Batman) immediately looked up, their attention on her. Most of the men of AWSM, however, took a few begrudging seconds to do so. Diana was content to wait until all eyes were on her to continue:

“It’s a beautiful thing for our organizations to join forces.” Putting a hand to her chest, she continued, “As you all probably know, I am Wonder Woman. Myself, Batman and Superman are the leaders of the Justice League.”

That got a few shifts, the most blatant by Major Glory. But Diana kept her smile wide as she held out her hands, “I know this is unexpected and an incredibly quick development, but I'm sure that we'll all get along well during this introductory time, especially with how similar some of us are.”

The two sets of heroes glanced around at each other at her words, awkward but responsive to the potentials that were opening up in front of them. Building up off that quiet surge of attention, Wonder Woman motioned to the hologram of the planet, one that now showcased where the each had kept their patrols. Her voice was firm yet warm as she made sure to iterate, “Justice Leaguers, your cities are still your own of course, and if any wish to add an AWSM associate to their team just be sure to log it in. AWSM, that invitation goes both ways.” 

She smiled at Kronk and Ya-Mon, who had noticeably perked up at that order. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, the Amazon motioned to the hints of technology that the Hall held, making sure that her bracelets sparkled in the fluorescent light, “Any help necessary, any technology you wish to aid you, any techniques or suit enhancements you can think of, the Justice League of Friends is set to combine the two largest superhero organizations. Now, not all of the Justice League is here right now; we have associates who are officially a part but do not stay as close. But, together, we'll be one interconnected force to protect this planet, this solar system, this galaxy and all who call it home.”

So many of them looked excited at her words, their gazes flicking from the hologram to the heroes that had similar powers and back to her as she grinned at them, “It certainly looks like it, but I hope you're all as excited as I am for this occasion and partnership.”

Turning to sneak a peek at how few folders were in front of Bruce, she clapped once. Taking a second to glance at the main groupings of heroes, she urged, “But enough of speeches, we should get to know each other more before everyone starts heading out. I know that some of us have very similar powers, backgrounds and villains that we face and that we’d love to go out and experiment, but business does come first.” 

She jerked a thumb over her shoulder to where Batman had yet to move, “It shouldn’t take too long but just remember that we’ll need to put all of your files into our database before you leave.” 

They all nodded and she stepped back into the crowd as it loosened, finding her way to Bruce and Valhallen amidst the heroes’ chatter. The Dark Knight glanced up at her, his lips in a tight line. That line quirked down at the edges at the teasing look on her face. 

Resting her palm on the table she drawled, “I’m gonna head on out in a minute. You two okay here?”

Batman didn’t look all too pleased at her, although Diana was certain it was her grouping of them that struck a chord. Biting her lip in a failed attempt to stay stoic, she patted the growing stack of folders once. Her gaze blatantly flicked from Valhallen to Batman and back again, a sly smirk forming her lips as she winked at the blond. 

‘Keep it up. He’s interested,’ She mouthed to him, shimmying her shoulders once and ignoring the glare aimed at the back of her head as she turned, headed towards the kitchen. Her snickers started to come as she approached her favorite cyborg. 

Down Unda Mate and Ya-Mon were there, all three comfortably chatting away. They quieted their laughter as she approached, all smiles. She figured that if a choice how to be made they’d be the best to spend any long length of time with. Diana grinned back and, putting a hand on Victor’s arm, she murmured, “I’ll be heading out soon. You’ll stay to help B?”

“‘Course,” He tilted his chin towards the doors, “I’ve got no idea how you’ve been dealing with them this long without a break.” His dark brown eyes flicked to the two newest heroes, “And I’m sure y’all won’t mind helping me out?”

“Go on, Wonder Woman,” Ya-Mon’s booming voice was friendly, his beard shifting as he grinned at the woman. He wrapped an arm around Down Unda Mate’s shoulders, knocking the Aussie’s summer fedora off his head, “We can handle everything here.”

Re-adjusting his hat, Down Unda Mate looked thoughtful, “Could even cook up some dinner for those who’re staying late.” His gray eyes flicked to Cyborg, teasingly elbowing Ya-Mon’s side, “Victor’s been telling me about his barbeque, but it can’t compare to mine, eh?”

Snorting indignantly, the half-robot dismissively waved him and his blasphemy aside. Victor winked at Diana, taking a guess to where she was going, “Tell Zee I say hi?” 

Wonder Woman chuckled, her hair flicking as she turned and called over her shoulder, “Will do.” 

\--

Diana let out a calm breath as she stepped out of the Hall, welcoming the dark sky. Not quite as dark as it was when E-Male overpowered the lights a week ago, but calming enough. And with the headache that was just barely beginning to bloom behind her eyes, the Amazon needed all the calmness she could get. 

A lazy smile curled her lips at the thought and she took off, her destination in mind. 

The fly from the Hall was quiet, just what Wonder Woman needed. She closed her eyes as she savored the wind in her face, dawdling as she flew through the clouds and blinked the moisture out of her eyes. As she got closer and closer to Gotham she dived below the dark clouds, knowing they were more smog than anything. 

Her navy eyes brightened at the familiar sight of an apartment building and she dove until she was even with the third floor. Diana kicked off her boots as she landed on Zatanna’s balcony, a happy huff escaping her. 

She heard her girlfriend’s muffled words as she picked the boots up, watching as the mystic’s magic slid open the door for her. Diana tossed her bracelets aside as she strode in, clicking the door shut behind her. Zatanna commanded another spell and the curtains shut to give them privacy as Wonder Woman’s outfit fell to the floor a second after. 

Throwing an oversized shirt the Amazon’s way, Zee let out a little laugh as she stretched her arms open, not bothering to get up from her spot on the couch. Diana smiled and straddled her lover, pressing a firm, warm kiss to the magician’s cheek as she did so. 

She smiled as Diana’s lips trailed down until they settled above her pulse, the Amazon lifting and re-adjusting them until Zee practically laid on top of her. The magician sighed, kissing the underside of her love’s jaw. The mystic didn’t bother trying to keep the amusement out of her voice, her concern slipping in, “Bad few days?”

“Bruce has a crush and we joined forces.”

Blinking once at the explanation, Zatanna accepted the oddness of the first but not the second. She honestly couldn’t think of who the Justice League would _join forces_ with; not when Batman was Batman and the JL was well known enough to simply offer any team a position without any assumption of equal give-and-take. Gnawing at the inside of her cheek, Zee asked, “Who’s the second force?”

“AWSM.”

Hesitating at the name, she wondered if she’d heard right. Diana nodded, letting out the sigh that had been building all day long. As her sigh turned into a long awaited raspberry, the princess let her head fall back against the couch’s arm, “AWSM. A-W-S-M. The Association of Super World Men.”

“Association of Super World Men?” Zee sounded incredulous, snorting as she buried her face in the crook of the Amazon’s shoulder. Kissing the tan skin once, she propped herself up on an elbow, blinking down at her love. Diana pecked her fingers as they lazily traced her lips, “Why haven’t I heard of them before?”

“Their minor heroes usually stay near more… forgotten cities.” Wavering at the word, Wonder Woman clicked her tongue, her navy eyes flicking away from Zee for a moment. She took a deep breath and admitted, “Ones that are more _ignored_ than anything. Or ones without any Justice League associates.”

Ignored was quite an admission but Zatanna could tell that that was a conversation for later. Instead, she stole a peck, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Diana shrugged, turning to wrap the magician in a hug. She paused to tangle their legs and grabbed Zee’s hand, bringing it up to her head. Sheepishly grinning as the mystic started scratching at her scalp, the princess hummed. Her eyes fluttering shut as Zee kissed her forehead, Diana lazily added, “I know the some of Justice Friends were near Townsville recently.” 

She pouted as Zatanna stiffened at the name, a hand moving from her hair to palm the side of the magician’s face, “ _Of course_ it’s Townsville.”

“You ever been?” Diana blinked up at her lover, her bright eyes confused. “I don’t think they have much of a magic scene there.” 

Zee hesitated for a moment, rolling her bottom lip between her teeth. Diana’s navy eyes watched the move, entranced. But she was also nosy and decided that a make-out session would distract from whatever past the magician had with Townsville, so she waited. 

And boy, did Zatanna deliver. 

“I…” The mystic sighed and let her head fall back onto the pillows. She closed her eyes and started scratching her love’s head again, letting the words escape in time with Diana’s happy little sigh, “I had a fling there.”

Now, it’s important to remember just _who_ she had just confessed that to. Wonder Woman, for all her strengths and training and know-how, knew how to be stoic in the face of the most shocking of events. She could stare down the most hardened of criminals and make them pee themselves in fright, she could best the most arrogant of foes with nary a cocky grin, she could outlast Clark and any given Robin in a staring contest. 

But _apparently_ she couldn’t keep the smile from spreading her lips at the love of her life’s confession. Zee caught it and groaned, shoving a pillow in the warrior’s face, “Don’t say it.”

The pillow muffled the incredulous laughter well enough, but Zatanna still heard how her lover giggled out, “ _You_ had a fling in _Townsville_?”

“I was in college and he was cute!” Flicking her love’s side, Zee faltered, running a tongue over her teeth, “Really smug and a bit dorky… but cute. Loved animals too.”

Diana’s eyes were warm and relaxed, shining so bright in the lamp’s yellow light they almost looked like lapis. Glad that she was in a better mood, Zee let a little laugh escape and kissed the tip of her girlfriend’s nose as another memory came to her, “Would you believe he had a monkey too?”

Pouting, Diana clicked her tongue, “I have a kangaroo.”

Zee gave her a look, her smile spreading to a grin that _this_ was the hill that the Amazon decided to have a picnic on. She wasn’t going to _say_ the word jealousy, of course, but if the bracelet fit…

Still, she couldn’t help but get out through her snickers, “Don’t worry; I’m sure Kanga could kick his ass if needed any day.” 

Diana pulled her closer, pressing a firm kiss right underneath the mystic’s jawline, “Damn straight.”

Zee tilted her head back to give her more space, a cheeky grin forming, “I wouldn’t say _straight_.” The Amazon let out a snicker against her skin, humming as Zee’s fingertips skimmed under the neckline of her shirt. Whispering a quick “Gnirtsward, tonknu!” and raising her hips so Diana could start to tug at her sweatpants, Zee added, “And if I’m remembering right, Kanga also wouldn’t try to get in while we’re occupied.”

That got her a feverish trail of kisses up her neck and to her lip. Diana let out a humming sort of groan as the mystic’s fingers tangled in her hair again, “After this mess of a week, I wouldn’t mind being occupied, Miss Zatara…”

\--

It took all of three days. 

Three days for Diana to just be sick of all of it. Sick of Major Glory’s poor attempts to guide the League as his own, sick of watching Bruce continue to deny himself a chance at a date, sick of watching the incompetence of AWSM, sick of seeing them inadvertently cause so much damage in their cities, sick of the hourly almost-meetings to discuss _how_ they were going to make this joined force attempt actually work. 

Sure, Victor and Hal had been essential to getting AWSM to sit back and listen to the original plan of action. And yes, Big Ben’s pragmatism kept her sane, just as Valhallen’s optimism kept Bruce sane. And while E-Male wasn’t exactly helping Clark keep his head in the superhero game (because _Dear Aphrodite_ those two were absolute lovebirds), he at least wasn’t making more of a mess in his attempts to patrol. 

Because _suffering Sappho_ were those patrols only _attempts_. Every man of AWSM was a recognized hero; sure they were impressive enough with simple villains but toss them into a Justice League protected city and their lack of training was so incredibly obvious. Even Victor was struggling to get them to realize that his technologically tailored pairings were so much more effective than their usual scrambling around (and what was that scrambling for, one may ask? Just to be the one who can deliver the finishing blow, property damage and teammate injuries be damned. Diana thought it selfish; she didn’t want to call it _pathetic_ , but oh how she wished she could).

Such a lack of discipline usually would’ve led to a league-wide training routine, but they had other pressing concerns. 

Namely, AWSM really didn’t have any back-up plans in the cities, counties and countries they protected. The police forces were slacking, and crime was growing rampant in their absence. Which was ludicrous as they’ve only been gone a week, but Diana wasn’t about to ask questions just yet. 

No, she had to check. And while she’d love to see how London was doing in Big Ben’s hiatus, or whether the Caribbean without Ya-Mon was chaos, or whether the outback was creeping in without Down Unda Mate to keep things in check, she had one location in mind. 

Valhallen was the only AWSM hero without a true Earth region that he protected. But he was basically always on the planet rather than Ragnarock ‘n’ Roll, deciding that they could live without his rule rather well. So Diana had looked up the god’s files, giving herself a quick moment to smile at the extra details that Batman had found out, far more than any other AWSM member.

And, within the first few paragraphs that Bruce had logged, Valhallen’s quote was short and precise: “Major first gave me a call while I was visiting Townsville.” 

Ah, Townsville. Diana knew of the place, not as much as Zee apparently did, of course; but she knew of it. Even though she’d rather she didn’t. The file the Justice League kept on the town had no superhero presence noted, although it was almost half a decade old. Plenty of supervillains named, only one on file.

While she never hoped for trouble or destruction, especially to civilians, Wonder Woman couldn’t help but speculate whether or not Townsville was being overwhelmed with the lack of heroes watching over it. And if Townsville was suffering without Valhallen’s occasional help, perhaps that could convince the rest of AWSM to finally go back to their troublingly dependent homes. A horrible thought, but Diana was tired from dealing with all of them.

And certainly Batman wouldn’t mind dealing with the headache that was AWSM for her during a short trip, if not for anything but more information about just why Valhallen wasn’t always in Townsville. Because certainly someone needed to be watching over any supervillain activity there. 

Simply sliding over to the computers and searching the town’s name online gave quite a few answers, one in particular that made Diana pause and immediately take off and fly to her room, ready to start packing. 

Here is a word of advice, one that Batman gave to Wonder Woman the first day that the Justice League officially came to be and one that she gave to all her fellow heroes: if a city mentions villains being defeated but not a hero, that means a minor is the one doing all the work. And it’s obviously a rare thing when heroes and media completely agree on one thing, but that was the golden rule to their interactions. When a child was the one fighting (not a teen, but a _child_ ), the goal was to protect them the best the industry can. 

It’s the reason Gotham’s newspapers rarely mentioned Robin, and when they did only as an afterthought and _never_ in the titles. It’s the reason that kids dress up as Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman, not even considering the idea of other kids directly heading off into danger. 

It’s the reason Townsville had no official hero on record. The very same reason Diana was stuffing as many baggy clothes and hoodies as possible into her bag, considering whether or not flying during the middle of the day was a bad choice. At least on a plane she could get to Townsville without being spotted just yet. 

But Diana simply shrugged and heaved her bag over her shoulder. _No_ , if AWSM’s towns were already descending into confused chaos, she didn’t was that child having to deal with all the trouble on their own for so long. Zipping her backpack shut and sending off a text to Bruce and another to Zee, Diana locked the door and took to the skies. 

\--

Now, admittedly, the famed Wonder Woman had never had to chance to physically visit Townsville whatsoever. That file and the locations noted in it were a few years old, but she supposed the brief description of the villains that populated the town was still current. Luck was on her side, as only one was powerful enough to give the Batman any pause, but _Him_ wasn’t even that evil when it came to threatening the rest of the world, so the Justice League ignored his presence. Diana hoped that she could do the same.

But for now, despite its oddities, Townsville was charming… in its own way. Wonder Woman kept her head down, trying to fit in the best she could. Her eyes periodically glanced up at the tri-colored streaks of light that sped through the air and a smile curled her lips. 

She’d landed a few miles outside of the town and had jogged through the forest until Townsville loomed ahead. They were subtle, but there were hints of the heroes. Nothing as flashy as a billboard, but signs of their existence was there: a depiction of three pastel silhouettes decorated a bus stop, a sign offering a Powerpuff sale after the store was saved from a fire, the grouping of blue, pink, and green splattered in odd places. 

At least Diana could rest knowing that it wasn’t _one_ child. She hoped to meet these mystery girls eventually, but not right now. She still had to make sure that they weren’t getting overwhelmed. Occasionally the police would speed past, going to whatever crime was being committed. But no explosions in any particularly crowded places and no civilians flailing around and away from a fight meant that Diana could relax, if only for a little while. 

The Amazon got all the way to the park without incident, stopping to grab a cone from a vendor on the sidewalk. Humming as she strolled, Diana took a seat on the bench, raising a brow as a dog approached her within a minute. His tail wagged and he stood, resting his paws on the bench next to her and bluntly pointing out, “You aren’t from around here, are you?”

She blinked at the dog who could apparently _talk_ , hesitantly taking a bite of her cone. Her blue eyes glanced around, wondering if the Justice League found out her plans and she was being pranked. But after a pause filled with the canine’s expectant, patient stare, Diana shrugged and decided to be honest, “Not really.”

He nodded at her answer as if everything was normal and nothing didn’t make sense, “Figured so. Would you mind if I get a bite?”

Wonder Woman looked from her hand to the dog and back again. Accepting this day for whatever it was bound to become, she aimed an awkward smile his way and held out the treat, “You can have the rest.”

The talking dog grinned, his tail thumping against the ground, “Thanks, Lady.” He held the cone in his paw and trotted off, calling over his shoulder, “And welcome to the neighborhood!”

Diana waved back, her smile slipping and her shoulders slumping as his attention went away from her. Her hands came up to palm her face and she reclined on the bench, trying to rationalize her worried thoughts of being recognized. Okay, sure, talking animals were uncommon but not _rare_ in her line of business. And, yeah, even the ones who couldn’t speak were often far more observant and far more capable than people gave them credit for. Who’s to say the animals of Townsville were any different, just because they were from Townsville?

The princess rolled her jaw, conceding her point. If _Batcow_ could commit arson as easily as she did even while under Bruce’s supervision then surely that dog could recognize her despite her disguise. 

Diana sighed as she considered where she could find a wig, since hiding in plain sight wasn’t proving to be the best plan. She leaned back and stretched her arms for a second, snickering as her hoodie’s zipper tickled her stomach. She let her head fall back against her shoulders, wondering how obvious it was that she wasn't from Townsville. If a _dog_ could notice her oddness (or lack of oddness, given that she was in Townsville), had the civilians?

Lips tightening into a line at that thought, Wonder Woman stood, pulling her coat together and zipping it up to her collar. She sped out of the park, hiding her face with her hair as a pair of police officers walked past. The hero got as far as just out of hearing range from Malph’s Market’s very-crowded parking lot when someone softly called out to her, “Wonder Woman!” 

Diana winced and cursed under her breath, her shoulders slumping. But no one other than her seemed to notice the voice and she turned, her brows jumping at the sight of a crimson suit and bright orange hair. But the voice wasn’t one of a fan seeking an autograph.

The woman was tall and authoritative, her heels putting them nearly eye to eye. Well, it would’ve if Diana could see her eyes, half of her face covered in curls. The redhead cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders, “It's wonderful to finally meet you. I'm Sara.” 

She held out her hand, an askew smile on her lips, “Sara Bellum.”

Diana bit the inside of her cheek, shaking the woman's hand. Her confusion must have been obvious and Ms. Bellum said, “I'm the Mayor's assistant.” 

Something in her tone let the Amazon know that she was, for all intents and purposes, the real one in charge of Townsville. Sara's smile widened at the hero’s realization and she motioned to a not-so-crowded parking lot a block away, the diner’s small sign lit up despite the sunny day, “Perhaps I can explain everything over lunch?”

The sidewalk wasn’t really a place where people lingered and Diana shrugged, wanting to stay as low profile as possible, “Lead the way.”

\--

The Otto-Time Diner was just like Townsville, aesthetically charming yet something in the background screamed of how _off_ it was. Sitting across from Ms. Bellum, Diana lazily glanced over the small menu, wondering if the diner's snickerdoodles were as soft as the ones Alfred snuck into Bruce's utility belt. And if not, well, at least the burgers looked good.

Wonder Woman smiled at their waitress as she took off with their order, her attention settling in the redhead in front of her. “So, Ms. Bellum--”

“Please,” A brown hand came up, “We may be professionals but I'm still a fan.” Red lipstick spread in a sheepish smile at the confession, “You can call me Sara if you'd prefer.”

“Sara then,” Diana leaned back in her seat, warmly taking in the woman that she was bound to get to know. Her voice was light, not bothering to hide her curiosity as she got straight to the point, “Mind telling me _why_ you didn't seem surprised to see me in your town?”

The assistant bit the inside of her cheek. Had her curls not been covering them, the Amazon was sure that her eyebrows raised as she exhaled, her shoulders slumping as she decided to be blunt, “I'd imagine that AWSM’s heroes must have bumbled their way to you.”

At the way bright blue eyes widened the tiniest bit at her words, Ms. Bellum let out a breathy laugh, taking a stirring stick out of the container on the table’s edge. Diana waited as she lopped a piece of whipped cream off her coffee. 

“Yeah,” Sara let out a short hum as she stirred her coffee, watching as the rest of her whipped cream mixed into the drink, “We’re more familiar with the Justice Friends over here. The Association usually spreads on a more global scale.”

She scratched at her eyelid, being careful not to smudge her make-up. “I’d imagine there are other… _disregarded_ towns all around the world.” Diana sat up an inch straighter at the thinly veiled sarcasm at the label, but Ms. Bellum didn’t look angry. Resigned, if anything. 

Diana thought back to Bruce’s file, about how the keys to the city hadn’t changed in years and about how incompetent the Mayor was prone to be. Chewing the inside of her cheek, the Amazon wondered how long Sara had been doing this. 

Before she could ask the woman took another sip of coffee and sighed out, “Neither group spends too much time our way. With the exception of whenever Mojo Jojo’s lasers get a hair too explosive or _Him_ branches out a few miles further than usual, they don’t really patrol the outskirts of Townsville often.” 

A pause and a smile, one that was full of unabashed mirth and glee. Leaning in, Ms. Bellum teasingly revealed, “None of them have acted up since our girls had to save all of them.”

The patterns of blue, pink, and green flashed through her mind, “The PowerPuffs?”

“Yes,” As if on cue, three streaks of light soared overhead, followed by a high pitched chord of music. Ms. Bellum chuckled, her shoulders bouncing as she took another sip of coffee. Her mouth opened to speak and looked over Wonder Woman’s shoulder. Sara’s face slid into a polite smile and she leaned back, giving their waitress room to set down their orders. The burger looked good and the fries were in a… devil-shaped basket?

The redhead glanced at the basket and then at the window to the kitchen, her lips quirking down in a near frown. But she didn’t seem too worried, so Diana let it go. The Amazon’s lips jumped into a friendly grin as their waitress spoke, tucking her pen behind her ear, “Anything else I can get for y’all, Ms. Bellum? Ma’am?” At the two shakes her question got, the waitress smiled wide, “Well just lean over the counter, ring the bell if you need me!”

As she made her way to the other customers Diana met Ms. Bellum’s gaze again, carefully taking in the thin lines on the corner of her lips and the tired beginnings of bags under her covered eyes. The AWSM had only started the beginnings of their integration a week ago, how long had she been worrying?

Sara took a deep breath and let her head loll back, her gaze finding the ceiling, “Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.”

One brow raised in question but Diana simply leaned back, silently munching on a fry. Ms. Bellum forced an appreciative half smile the Amazon’s way at the invitation to vent all she needed. A hand ran through her curly hair and she spoke, “The Powerpuffs. They’re good girls.”

Diana didn’t move, but her unspoken ‘I’d imagine so. They’re heroes!’ filled the air regardless. Rolling her jaw, Sara tapped the bell with her stirring stick and let out a heavy sigh, “They’ve been doing their best. I’ve been aiding them in all the ways I can, however…” 

Her eyes flicked from Wonder Woman to her mug as her words trailed off, her voice nearly cracking. She rolled her jaw and looked up, nodding as their waitress topped off her coffee and tucking a stray curl back in place. The Mayor’s assistant hesitated, trying to find the words that she’d been wondering for far too long. 

After a half minute of silence, Diana spoke, “I have a younger sister.” Her lips curled into a soft smile at the thought of Donna, “She’s Wonder Girl.” 

The Amazon instinctively touched where her bracelets would be, her face softening as she admitted, “I worry about her. I know that she’s capable, that she’s trained and cunning and more than able to hold her own…” Diana trailed off, biting her straw as she glanced outside the diner’s windows. 

Taking in a breath, she turned back to Ms. Bellum, “But fighting and outsmarting villains who wouldn’t blink twice at your misfortune takes a lot out of a person. Especially when that person’s a child.”

She rested her elbows on the table and touched Sara’s hand, “But it also is… taxing, being someone who cares about that person.” Ms. Bellum’s head snapped up, her lips in a straight line. Diana sighed, “Don-- Wonder Girl isn’t a child, but I worry about her all the time. She can probably beat _me_ in a fight but I can’t help it. She’s…” Pausing as she tried to think of the way to speak her feelings, Diana sucked in a breath.

She let it out slowly, “As odd as it sounds, I’ve been watching her grow into the hero she’s becoming. She’s _mine_. Win or lose, there’s a small part of me that’s gonna worry myself sick whenever she fights crime. I’d imagine you worry about the Powerpuff Girls too.”

Ms. Bellum squeezed her hand, not trusting her voice but looking incredibly relieved that her worries weren’t unfounded. Wonder Woman closed her eyes, “It’s… hard to let them do this. Yeah, they know how to fight and can outsmart almost any villain. But you still just,” Diana put her free hand on her stomach, scrunching the hoodie’s material in her fist as she let the emotions pass through her. All those nights of sparring on Themyscira, all those take-out meals as they discussed strategy, all those quick five minute calls at random hours of the day, all leading up to Donna heading off on her own. Diana didn’t know what to say besides a simple, “Yeah.”

Biting her lip as she tried to push her thoughts away from her sister and her team, Wonder Woman let her shoulders sag. She kept a hand on Sara’s, knowing that the woman needed it. The impact of Dick’s blow up on Bruce and more noticeably his silence and Donna’s call when Jason first donned the Robin suit took another moment to leave, the Amazon’s mind lingering on the anger that crime-fighting at such a young age could cause, “We try not to let the kids fight too much, but there’s always _something_ , you know?” 

The redhead nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. Diana let out a bittersweet sigh to match Sara’s continued silence at the unfortunate topic at hand. If anything, she just hoped the Mayor’s assistant was taking her words to heart. 

Looking out as yet another police car squealed past the busy street, Diana pivoted the subject, “Is it always this busy?”

Ms. Bellum knew she didn’t mean the foot traffic. The redhead chewed her bottom lip for a moment and cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice as steady as usual, “The AWSM deals with the more… prominent of the villains in the area. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup keep Townsville and the woods safe, the others deal with everything past that.”

Her somber eyes met Diana’s and the words rushed out, “With them gone the girls are being pushed more and more.” 

Wonder Woman pulled her hand back and nudged the mug Sara’s way; as Ms. Bellum took a much needed sip of coffee her thumbs rubbed the sides of the mug, taking solace in the lingering heat. She considered tapping the bell for another refill but decided against it, “Nowhere near their _limit_ , mind you. But they’re _kindergarteners_. They shouldn’t have to deal with the dredges that the AWSM deals with.”

The warrior’s lips tightened into a line. She took a deep breath through her nostrils for a long second, remembering her strength as she lightly drummed her fingers on the table, immediately restless at how _young_ the girls were. Briefly, she wondered how much time passed between Bruce’s initial file and their becoming heroes, but she had to stop lest she batter a hole through the table. 

Diana ran a tongue over her teeth, her jaw set, “I’m guessing less supervillains and bank robbers, more escaped felons and not-so-petty, ruthlessly, sadistically violent criminals?” 

Ms. Bellum sighed, her shoulders slumping the tiniest bit. She pursed her lips, her eyes exasperated behind her curls, “Usually they leave Townsville alone, but they all just flocked to the woods and now are filtering in by the boatload.”

It didn’t take a genius to guess why, “Is AWSM that important here? I know the other cities are all but collapsing, but from what I’ve heard Townsville doesn’t seem as reliant.”

“We are fine with the girls, but AWSM was an ally once upon a season ago. I guess their villains took notice and decided Townsville was the place to be once they left,” Sara murmured. She doubted the Justice League ever watched the Association’s circlejerk of an annual broadcast and, glancing at the thoughtful look on the warrior’s face, added, “After our girls beat them in their own skills challenge they had to save them all from Mascumax.” 

Red lipstick slid into a wry grin as the memory of the narrator’s voice came back to her, “They called themselves the Society of Associated Puff-keteers for a while, if you can believe it. Had matching dresses and everything.”

Diana could. If anything, those vague police reports and newspaper articles on how competent and charismatic the unnamed heroes were telling, all things considered. “What happened to them?” Her mind went back to how stubborn most of them (but _especially_ Major Glory) were to accept her authority at first, the corners of her mouth quirking down, “Pardon my language Sara, but they’re back to acting like shitheads again.”

Ms. Bellum clicked her tongue. She didn’t look surprised at the news. Taking another sip of coffee and sneaking one of Wonder Woman’s fries, she said, “They’re arrogant.” 

Her curls bounced as she shook her head, exasperation rolling off her in waves, “Yes, they help keep the dredges out of the Powerpuffs’ hair, but when they go back to their usual cities? Having their countries all but suck them off for doing just above the bare minimum?”

A hint of anger had snuck its way into the redhead’s usually steady voice, “The lessons they learned that day just flew right out the window.” She immediately paused, guiltily reconsidering her words, “That’s not entirely true.”

Sara bit her lower lip, letting go as she remembered her lipstick. There were obvious exceptions that she felt Wonder Woman deserved to know about, “Some are less cavalier than they used to be. Valhallen and Big Ben are great, sweethearts the two of them.” Smiling to herself at the thought of them and their horrid but genuine attempts to fix Bubbles’ pigtails that one time, she added, “They come and visit the girls pretty often. E-Male and Ya-Mon and _definitely_ Krunk too, maybe even Down Unda Mate if we’re being generous, although their pride gets in the way sometimes.”

Her head tilted back as she finished the last sip of coffee. Diana didn’t even need to see the assistant’s eyes to know they were rolling, “But the rest…” Ms. Bellum shook her head as she trailed off, her look aimed towards the Amazon speaking more than words ever could. 

Diana leaned back in her seat, dipping a fry in ketchup and considering the woman’s words, “That’s about par the course for what I’ve seen so far.”

Ms. Bellum looked up at the lilt in her sentence, “But…?”

“But it doesn’t remedy the fact that it’d be better for everyone if AWSM stayed near their usual patrols,” Diana folded a fry in half in between her fingers. She rolled her jaw and set the food down, wiping her hands clean. “Everyone benefits if they accept out help, use some new techniques, and we can even handle teaming up from time to time, but… but we can’t have them all clustered around the same area, even if only for a week.” 

Sara nodded in agreement, “Leaves far too many cities and civilians vulnerable, I suppose?”

“Exactly, but it won’t take too long to kick them out of the Hall,” Wonder Woman mused, more to herself than anything. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, trying to meet Sara’s gaze from behind her curly hair. 

Shrugging one shoulder, the Amazon continued, “Only a day or so. But it’ll definitely take a few more weeks for everything to stabilize.” Ms. Bellum nodded and sat up straighter, her air of authority coming back. 

Before she could speak Diana added, “I’ll find some heroes in the meantime…” The princess let her words drop, pausing as she considered the assistant in front of her. “I’ll find some other heroes to watch Gateway in my place. And I’m sure Batman and Superman won’t mind taking over my duties at the JLA until this situation is solved.”

Ms. Bellum sat on her words for a moment, “Really?”

Hearing her hesitancy, Diana leaned forward, her fingers drumming along the crook of her elbow. Mentally she tried to remember whether or not any shows were scheduled; she knew of Zee’s plan of spending time together in LA rather than deal with Gotham as the snow melted, but Diana figured she’d see if her favorite mystic could get at least a weekend off. 

Taking a sip of her water, Wonder Woman made up her mind, “I’ll have to ask her first, but I have someone who can help me _here_. I’m not sure how familiar you or the girls are with magic, but if she can come then she can help.”

The assistant’s head tilted to the side in thought, “You’re talking about that show magician, correct? The one who helped during the Dreamstone affair? Zatara, if I’m remembering right?” Sara’s smile turned sly and she tapped the waitress’ bell again, “She’s a lover, I take it?”

The hero’s brows jumped, her mouth just barely falling open at the woman’s words. Their waitress sidled up to the table, filling up Sara’s coffee and aiming an encouraging wink their way. She left without a word and Diana found her voice again, “You know about that?” 

Whether she meant the Dreamstone mission or her relationship status, the hero didn’t really know.

Ms. Bellum let out a chuckle at her surprise, the drawl morphing into a sigh, “I know we’re not really on the radar in your big cities, but people talk and, well…” The redhead took another sip of her coffee, wiping away the bit of lingering whipped cream on the rim with her pinky, “In my line of work, I tend to listen.”

Diana didn’t seem too worried at her words and Ms. Bellum sat up straight, running a tongue over her teeth. “Listen, Wonder Woman--” 

“Diana.”

Ms. Bellum faltered, her nails drumming against her mug’s handle. Her gaze shot to the rim and she smiled down into her coffee, trying not to let her inner fangirl be too obvious, “Dealing with _this much_ of an influx would take quite a while. And the last thing I need, the last thing Townsville needs is to develop a crutch with your protection.”

She looked up at her from under her brows. In this position, Diana finally had a clear view of the woman’s dark brown eyes, speckled with hazel. Pleading and tired, worried and angry, hopeful and weary, “If you’re going to help, it has to come with a guarantee that the AWSM will find their way back to their usual operations.”

Sara rubbed the back of her neck, resting her elbows on the table. A sad smile curled her lips, “Summer’ll be here soon and I’d like the girls to still have a chance at having a childhood,” Her head tilted and her forearms lined her edge of the table, “As much as they can, anyway.”

“I’ll do my best, Sara.” 

“I know you will, Diana,” Even with the heaviness of the conversation, Ms. Bellum looked positively delighted at using her real name. That usual air of competence returned, tinged with hope that everything would turn out okay, “You’re Wonder Woman. You always save the day.”

Not knowing what to say to that, Diana patted her arm and met the waitress’ brief stare. Motioning for the check, Wonder Woman aimed a grin at Sara, armed with a surge of confidence now that she had a plan, “I’ll update Batman. And I’m not sure how long it’ll take to get Zee here, what with her shows and all, but I’ll help the girls patrol until then.”

\--

Her text to Bruce was simple: 

_‘Ask Valhallen out and send everyone else back home. We’ll deal with training them one on one once their crime levels go back to normal.’_

Her call with Zee was a bit more drawn out.

Diana had joined Ms. Bellum back to the Mayor’s office to change. She’d briefly met the Mayor and didn’t know if she was more confused at the fact that he was still in charge or the fact that Ms. Bellum seemed enamored with being his right hand woman. Regardless, she had shook his hand and dialed Zatanna the moment she knew she wouldn’t be overheard. 

Zee picked up after two rings, “Hey, Darling.” The magician leaned against the door heading to backstage, smiling as she fiddled with her cufflinks.

Diana smiled at hearing her girlfriend’s voice, “Hey, Love.” She started to slide out of her clothes, the zip! of the zipper making Zatanna hum on the other side of the line. 

The mystic’s voice went low as she walked out of anyone’s earshot, “This Townsville mission going well?”

“Pretty much,” Her tongue darting out to wet her lips, the Amazon decided that blunt was always best, “The town’s hero is actually three little girls, all kindergarteners.” Not stopping at Zee’s sharp little gasp, Diana added, “B is gonna send all of AWSM back home. I volunteered to stay until they pick up their villains that made their way here. Probably a week or so.”

Zee sighed as her girlfriend added, “I was hoping you’d like to join me?”

She pulled the phone away to command a quick “Radnelac, emoc ereh.” Flipping through the papers, Zatanna bit the inside of her cheek at the sheer amount of free time she had. She could move shows around, open up the rest of the week. And those two weeks that she and Diana had planned to spend in LA were wide open, but still she hesitated at the thought of that damned town and her very brief history with it. 

Just to be sure, “In Townsville?”

Diana’s chuckle made Zee smile, “In Townsville.”

“Right now?”

“Not right this instant.” A shift of her armor scraping against the tile as Diana combed her fingers through her hair and hooked her lasso back where it belongs, “I’m going go meet the Powerpuff girls later today and AWSM will probably be gone from the Hall by tomorrow. But I’m pretty sure the girls’d love to see some real magic if you were up for it.”

Zatanna snorted at her compliments, the smile on her face growing. Running a hand through her hair, she murmured, “You really need my help?”

Diana’s answer was immediate, “Well I’d like it.” 

“Not exactly the most pleading there, Darling.”

“If three superpowered kindergarteners can protect the city then you know I won’t need that much extra backup. But if some of AWSM come to pick up their villains, I’d love having you here so I don’t go crazy.” Biting her lip, Diana added, “Plus, I might be stuck here for about a week. Can you imagine seven whole days without magic cuddling?”

Quiet laughter was her answer and she pushed on, sweetening the deal, “We could make it a weird getaway from work?”

Zee snickered at the hopeful lilt in her Amazon’s voice, “I get to spend most of the day with you?”

“That’s the plan.”

Sapphire eyes glanced at the clock again, “I have one more show in about an hour and then I’ll head over there.” 

“I can’t tell if you’re agreeing only because you’ll get kisses or not.”

The magician laughed outright, not denying her guess. She ran her tongue over her teeth as her chuckles slowed, her face softening as Diana reiterated, “You sure you’re okay with coming here?”

Zee blew a kiss through the screen, “Make sure you’re ready with my kisses, Darling.”

“Okay,” Diana beamed at her, grabbing that kiss and patting it over her heart. “Love you, Love. See you soon.”

“Love you too, Darling.”

Hanging up and sneaking out of the bathroom, Wonder Woman paused as she rounded the corner. She caught sight of Ms. Bellum and smiled, jogging forward to walk next to the tall woman. The assistant smiled back and murmured, “This way.” 

She didn’t mention if she heard any of the hero’s conversation, but judging from the tiniest hint of surprise that she couldn’t wipe from her face, Diana imagined she did. Sara cleared her throat, “I already called the girls. The park should be cleared up by now, if you’d like to go back.”

“Sure.”

As they slipped out of the building, Sara leaned in an inch closer and warned, “One of the villains may be attacking soon.”

Diana raised a brow, “One of the usuals, or?”

“He’s a usual, not too dangerous all things considered. Mojo Jojo apparently left the hardware store a few minutes ago. It’ll be at least a quarter of an hour until he starts any trouble.” 

“Hmm…” Fifteen minutes wasn’t a lot of time, but Diana was sure it’d be enough, ““I’ll meet the girls first, let them fill me in.”

A brow raised over her navy eyes at the keys in Ms. Bellum’s hands and the shiny car in the driveway. She met the redhead’s gaze, a teasing smile on her face, “Luxury cars probably aren’t the best way for me to not get noticed.”

Sara only clicked her tongue, a sly grin on her face, “You’re _Wonder Woman_. At least let me try to impress you.”

Laughing, Diana jumped into the passenger seat. Sighing in the comfort of the car’s AC, Diana clicked on her seatbelt and let Ms. Bellum choose the radio station. 

The ride back to town was quiet; Sara was grateful for a time to think and plan all that she needed to do and Wonder Woman was content with staring out the window, making a mental note of where everything was. 

The park crept up on the hero faster than she realized, her navy eyes blinking at the familiar ice cream vendor as he strolled towards Downtown Townsville. Jumping out as Sara parked, the Amazon stretched her arms and then laid her hands on her hips, looking around. Just like the redhead had predicted the park was empty save for the two of them, so no gawks or calls for autographs were aimed at Diana. 

She took a breath, grateful to be back in uniform in public again. Her gaze shot up at that increasingly familiar fading chord. 

Flying a few feet in the air at the sound, Diana lazily took a full look around the town. Not too busy in the quiet lull right before people started getting off of work and right after all the kids had gotten home from school. Modern and sleek, yet comfortably lived in with splotches of recently rebuilt roofs and doors from the destruction that fighting crimes comes with. 

A high pitched squeal hit her ears. 

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Look! It’s Wonder Woman!”

Diana flew half a step back as a streak of blue light zipped around her, her heightened senses being the only thing keeping her from being disoriented at the rapid fire questions and repeated “Oh my goshes” as Bubbles circled her at nearly the speed of light. Feeling like she was in a tornado of excitement, the Amazon could only smile what must have been a rather awkward smile, trying to catch sight of the Powerpuff that circled her. 

“Bubbles!” The redhead --Blossom was the pink dress, she remembered-- put her fingerless hands on her hips, “Let her at least _see_ you first!” 

“Yeah,” She was just barely able to make out Buttercup past the blue streaks, the kindergartener’s arms crossed but her face completely giving away how excited she was. Still, the two were as close as they could be without getting in Bubbles’ path, trying to get the best view of the Amazon as they could.

Diana laughed and reached out, grabbing the blonde and letting Bubbles hug her side. She opened her arms, waggled her fingers and was engulfed in a Powerpuff hug, nearly spinning at the force. Her laugh was dwarfed by the girls’ excited gasps (because how often does one get a hug from _Wonder Woman_?), “It’s wonderful to finally meet you three!” 

A few feet below Ms. Bellum watched them curiously, a little smile on her face as the heroes casually floated nearly a dozen feet in the air. 

Pulling back to see all their faces, the Amazon introduced herself, “I’m Wonder Woman.” She didn’t bother moving her arms, instead curling her torso as if laying on a hammock. The girls half-balanced on her lap and in her arms as they cuddled closer, practically vibrating as they got a chance to talk with the best Justice League hero.

Buttercup leaned up on her bicep, her cheek smushed against her hand. The tomboy’s snickers filled the space in between them at the unnecessary introduction, “Of course you are!” That seemed to break the dam as she and her sisters piled in with their own praises, the trio speaking so fast that Diana had trouble keeping up on who was saying what (not so much trouble as to not smile at the absolute truths they were proclaiming, of course): 

“We’re such big fans--”

“You’re the best hero of all time--”

“You’d make AWSM look silly--”

“AWSM? Even Batman’s got nothing on her--”

“And we have ALL your posters--”

“Your dress is so pretty--”

“Professor won’t let _us_ get a sword--”

“We even made one of our combo moves lasso-based--”

“Could we show you now--”

The trio’s words were cut off as Ms. Bellum’s voice called up to them, amused, “One at a time, girls! She’s only got one set of ears!”

“Right,” Buttercup rubbed the back of her head and Blossom fiddled with her bow’s ends. Paired with Bubbles wide, worried eyes, the three looked properly abashed but Diana sat up, grinning down at them. She winked at them once and called to the street, “It’s fine, Sara.”

“I don’t mind the praise, really, but I wanted to get to know you three too,” Leaning in, Diana didn’t bother to keep the genuine happiness out of her voice. She rarely fluffed up her words to appease others and after dealing with AWSM, she was glad to be honest and straightforward again. The girls matched her grin and Wonder Woman admitted, “It’s not often I get to meet heroes like yourselves.”

Confident despite her awestruck blush, Buttercup brushed the imaginary dust off her dress, “Yeah, I’d imagine so.”

Giggling as she elbowed her sister, Blossom formally introduced the team, “Well, then, Miss Wonder Woman, we’re the Powerpuff Girls!” Bubbles hugged the redhead’s arm and added, “We protect Townsville and all the good people and animals that call it home.”

“Yeah?” Wonder Woman’s eyes were shining and bright as she gestured around the town, clean and calm and orderly in the dusk. “You three’ve been doing a marvelous job. Townsville’s as protected as any Justice League city.”

Blossom, true to her name, practically blossomed with pride at the hero’s observation. 

“But,” Diana shifted until she was cross-legged, balancing the girls in her lap, “it’s been busy recently, hasn’t it? All these extra villains making trouble…”

“We can handle them!” 

The Amazon smiled softly at Buttercup’s fiery words, reaching up and tucking a stray strand of her black hair back into place, “I know you guys can. Doesn’t mean you have to--”

Down below, Ms. Bellum’s phone rang. 

“--And I mean look at how peaceful Townsville is! I can’t imagine keeping a whole city as safe as this when I was your age.” 

Buttercup’s pupils widened and her mouth fell open. Bubbles let out an “Aw, shucks” at her words and Blossom was positively glowing at the praise. Something in their honest faces made Wonder Woman bite her bottom lip. 

She took a breath, “Diana.”

Smiling at the brief flickers of confusion on their faces, the princess smiled, tapping the tiara on her forehead, “My real name is Diana, Princess of Themyscira.” 

The girls looked up at her, mouths slightly agape at the secret she just revealed. Bubbles mouthed the name over and over, her hands coming to cover her mouth in shock. She beamed at her sisters, breathlessly repeating, “Her name’s _Diana_!”

“I know! She just told us!” Despite the force in her words Buttercup seemed equally surprised, eyeing the woman and trying to think if she’d met any other Dianas before. 

Catching the confused look in Blossom’s eyes, she added, “I know you three don’t have any individual hero names but I figured it’s only fair that you know my real name too.”

Leader that she was, the redhead was immediately trying to be as mature as possible. Navy eyes watched as she opened her mouth to speak and stumbled. “Wonder Woman? I mean, Diana? Uh,” Blossom’s face scrunched up, stumped as she tried to figure out _how_ to address her, “Princess, then? Maybe?”

“Diana is fine either way, though something tells me you’d prefer staying with Wonder Woman?”

At their nods, the hero slowly floated back down to the ground. Ms. Bellum slid her phone back into her pocket as the four came back down to earth. The tall woman’s sly little smile had returned and she asked, “Did Wonder Woman tell you the news?”

Blossom tilted her head, looking between the two adults suspiciously. Something told her she’d get the answer to the question she’d yet to ask, so the redhead simply prodded, “What news?”

Chuckling as Bubbles refused to let go of her hug, Diana let the girl cling to her arm, “I’m staying in town for a few days. Work on driving these AWSM villains back to their usual spots, help you guys with crime fighting when you should be in school…” Her chin raised and a confident, light hearted smile brightened her face, “Maybe team up with my three favorite Powerpuffs, you know?”

Before the girls could react (and quite possibly blow out a few windows, given the look of near-squeal on Bubbles’ face) Ms. Bellum’s voice filled the air, “You can start now.”

Four pairs of bright eyes shot to her and the assistant tapped her phone with one manicured nail, “Mojo is threatening to laser downtown Townsville to the ground.” 

She gave them a little half-smile, “The Mayor says he’s still at his lair, if you beat him fast enough you can probably show Wonder Woman around town before it gets too late.”

Wonder Woman held out her hands as three big eyes turned to her. Buttercup grabbed one hand and Blossom the other; Diana smiled as Bubbles began chattering away and flying backwards as the four took off. Through the thrum of light and music the princess just barely picked out the sound of Ms. Bellum’s laughter, her navy gaze focusing as she tried to make a mental map of the town and listen to the girls as they paid more attention to showing her the best spots as they passed, rather than explain who this Mojo was.

They came upon another park, smaller than the one they had left. Surrounded by flowering trees and a minor road that could be maintained more, it was a nice little spot. What made the Wonder Woman pause was their destination. Diana didn’t outwardly falter at what appeared to be an active volcano in the middle of one of Townsville, nor did she express concern at the meltable metal observatory that was perched on top. 

The girls let go of her as they burst into the lair. A rain of bricks and metal flung onto them as the Powerpuffs proclaimed their usual spiel:

“Not so fast!”

“Mojo!”

“Jojo!”

Wonder Woman blinked at the sight of what she assumed at first to be a monkey in a dress. Actually, not a monkey. He didn’t have a tail; must be a chimpanzee. But his boots and scowl were enough to put her on edge, especially with all the technology that lined the walls. Nothing as outwardly dangerous as the supervillains that the JL dealt with, of course, but threatening enough. The sight of the obvious intelligence in his eyes made her pause and he let out a “Powerpuff Girls, what an unexpected surprise!” 

The chimp’s gloved hands hit a button and he let out a screech as the mechanical arms shot out, “And by unexpected I mean completely expected!”

Lunging in three different directions as they heroes shot off in four, the arms got confused at the extra hero. Diana dodged the trap for Blossom only for two identical ones to snap at her legs. She blinked, not too concerned even as the girls circled around, Buttercup slicing through the last arm and using her heat vision to force the laser to topple over. 

Blossom and Bubbles set about fighting off the laser-eyed robots that descended from the walls to attack and Wonder Woman decided to take a step back, watching the oddness. She wiggled her leg at the metal wrapped around her ankle but took to mainly observing the Powerpuffs’ fighting style, one hand fiddling with the lasso on her hip. 

The girls had obviously never been formally trained, but their hid each other deficiencies well. While they had the same powers Bubbles relied on her speed, Blossom on her quick wits to outmaneuver any groupings of henchrobots, Buttercup on her strength. They were impressive, as good as any young hero could be. 

And Mojo Jojo? Well… he was something, alright.

The talking chimp had yet to notice her, too busy monologuing to the girls as he commanded his robots to distract them, his focus on getting the laser up and running again. 

The roof let out a _crunch!_ as a mass of robots lasered the ceiling, the ceiling coming down on the girls a second later. Navy eyes narrowed and Wonder Woman snapped the mechanical arms off of her, punching a robot before it could lunge.

She spun and tossed the bot towards the others; the wind of its launch and the explosion of the robots crashing into each other made the chimp pause mid-sentence, ““Now my time has-- wait who are you?”

Mojo Jojo squinted at her, his teeth bared in annoyance, “You are not a Powerpuff!”

Wonder Woman shrugged, blatantly stretching to reach her lasso, “I’m an Amazon, if that helps.”

The chimp didn’t seem to mind, “It does not help! In fact, it is completely unhelpful!”

Somehow, he didn’t seem to realize she was there to fight. Instead, Mojo swiveled around to continue his monologue against the girls, his dramatics reminding the warrior an awful lot of Batman whenever he got in his moods. Sputtering in disbelief, Diana lassoed the villain in one easy swoop, yanking him up until they were nose to nose.

“Now that’s enough out of you, Mojo.”

“Mojo Jojo.”

She blinked, “What?”

“My name. It’s Mojo _Jojo_. You missed the Jojo at the end.”

She merely raised a brow and he yammered on, “I am an evil mastermind! The Powerpuffs are my rivals not you!”

“Hey!” Buttercup looked aghast at his words, offended on the princess’ behalf, “That’s Wonder Woman! It’d be an honor to have her be your nemesis!”

Rolling her eyes Diana let the chimp drop. He rolled as he landed on his side and his helmet cracked. Mojo didn’t seem to notice as he kicked his feet, growling at the lasso that bound him; still, the exposed part of his enlarged brain made the Amazon’s eyes widen. She sucked in a sharp gasp through her nostrils and took a step forward, “Are you alright?” 

She kneeled down near his head, panicked at how fragile his helmet was for something so important. Behind her, the Powerpuffs wriggled out of the rubble. They were confused, just as much as Mojo Jojo was at her reaction. Bubbles flew up to her side, “What’s wrong?”

Diana ran a hand back through her hair, considering whether to try to piece the helmet back together or to simply wrap a cloth around it. She blinked and turned her torso, trying to spot if there were any sterile wipes (well, as clean as one could find in a half destroyed lair on top of a volcano), “His brain is exposed!”

“That happens a lot,” Buttercup shrugged at the same time Mojo piped up, “My cranium is none of your concern!”

“Doesn’t he need to go to the hospital?”

“We usually just drop him off at the jail and they fix him up.” Blossom’s bubblegum eyes closed as she remembered a tidbit, adding, “And the Professor was reading about how Townsville’s prison hospitals are far superior to the nation’s average, if that helps.”

Wonder Woman paused, looking from the girls to Mojo and back again. She rolled her jaw and nodded determinedly, “Let’s get going, then.”

Holding Mojo in her arms, she tilted her chin to the Powerpuffs, “I’ll follow you three. Gotta keep his head as steady as possible.” The girls looked worried (and how much of that was based on his health and how much on them realizing that an exposed brain was not normal, she didn’t know) and Diana wearily smiled at them, “Just as a precaution. He’ll be fine either way, promise.”

They took off to the skies yet again, reaching the jail quickly. The guards looked a bit starstruck but let them walk in without any questions. Diana hummed as she set Mojo down in his jail cell, deciding not to question Townsville’s judicial system at the moment. 

“You’ll be sure to patch that wound?”

“Oh course. Got a doctor on the upper floor.” At Wonder Woman’s stern look, he stood from his desk and pointed a thumb over his shoulder, “I’ll go get her now.”

Diana watched as he jogged to the stairs and rolled her jaw. Hearing the sound of Mojo ranting in his cell she nodded at the three and the four heroes left, Diana quiet as she mused over the fight. Noticing the nervous energy of the girls she aimed a smile at the Powerpuffs, “You all fight so well.” They took to the skies and she mused aloud, “Obviously not formally trained, but you can hold your own and back up each other without much of a lapse…” Shaking her head to clear her thoughts the Amazon flew up a few feet higher, giggling as she shot through a cotton candy colored cloud. 

The girls followed her lead and Wonder Woman clicked her tongue, a languid smile on her face as she closed her eyes. Everyone was safe and the mission was a success, all things considered, “You’re all very impressive heroes.”

Lazily spinning to cut through the clouds, Diana apologized, “I mainly sat back this mission, just wanted to see what you three are capable of.”

Buttercup cried out, “You haven’t seen anything yet!” 

Blossom joined in, “Yeah! We fight way worse bad guys than Mojo Jojo.” 

“Then we should team up more often,” Her eardrums rang at Bubbles’ excited squeal (that was absolutely becoming a theme with her. Diana made a note to keep the blonde on her right side, if anything than to even her hearing out) and Wonder Woman laughed with her. 

Suddenly an upbeat chorus rang into the air: ‘ _I feel the magic in your caress, I feel magic when I touch your dress. Silk and satin, leather and lace..._ ’ 

Diana’s laugh turned into a squawk as she fumbled with her cell, quickly turning it off before the next line could start. Mentally sending out a futile apology to her girlfriend, Wonder Woman’s cheeks flushed as she slipped the phone back into place. 

She felt the girls’ stares and got all of two seconds to prepare then Bubbles butted in, “What was that?”

The Amazon ran a hand through her hair, flashing a smile their way, “Just a call.” 

“No,” Buttercup shook her head, a brow raising in question, “The music? What was that?”

“My ringtone? Um, Abracadabra. By some 80s band I can’t remember right now.”

Blossom squinted, “Your phone… makes noise when people call you?”

Ah, so that was the issue. Sighing both as the phone vibrated --Zee must’ve sent a text-- and at the choice that she had to put such a label to herself, Diana simply muttered, “It’s an old people thing.” The girls blinked and glanced among each other. But they seemed to accept that answer and the four sunk lower in the sky, swooping past the skyscrapers and diving below the billboards. 

They flew in relative quiet for a while, the girls pointing out certain places and Wonder Woman adding to her mental map as they went. She couldn’t help but smile at how Blossom kept recommending the library and schools, Bubbles focused on the department stores and the public fountains, and Buttercup with the parks and gyms. The mood was light but a question still obviously hung in all three Powerpuffs’ minds. 

Her phone buzzed again and she spoke into the air, “You can ask.”

An immediate chorus of three curious kindergarteners, “Who called?” Diana’s smile turned into snickers as the question was promptly followed by, “Was it Batman?”

Shaking her head, the Amazon dodged a pigeon and rose to avoid the supermarket’s sign. Blinking down at the Otto-Time Diner, Wonder Woman explained, “It was Zatanna. She’s the hero who’s gonna help us.” Diana aimed a proud grin the girls’ way, “She’s the best magician I’ve ever seen. Everything about her is perfect.”

Pausing for dramatic effect, she waited a second then practically sang into the air, “She’s also my girlfriend.”

Three gasps sounded at her side and Bubbles flew a tinge faster until she and Diana were face to face. The position gave Wonder Woman the perfect view to see the blonde glance at her sisters once, obviously taking the role of clarifying, “So you _like_ her?”

Snorting, the Amazon motioned for Buttercup and Blossom to herd in closer. The girls looked captivated and she proclaimed, “I _like her_ like her.”

Their mouths dropped open at her words. Blossom found her voice first, “She must be amazing if she’s dating _you_!”

“Yeah,” Diana smiled down at herself, “I must be pretty awesome for _her_ to consider dating _me_.”

The girls seemed stunned at the implication that Zatanna was that great, their already wide eyes widening in shock. Bubbles, ever the lovable chatterbox, broke first, “Is she as pretty as you?”

“Even prettier.”

Buttercup, resting against her shoulder the best she could as they flew, “Is she as strong?”

“No, but she’s way more talented.”

“Did you two have a date?”

The princess paused at that, running a tongue over her teeth, “Kinda.” She shrugged her shoulders, silently noting that the girls were headed towards the suburbs, “She’s supposed to get here later tonight to meet you guys and help out, but it’ll have to wait…” Trailing off as she glanced at the darkening sky, the sunset still fighting for its last rays and the stars already twinkling near the moon; the clouds were still going strong as they gleamed pastel near their edges. Diana clicked her tongue at the sight, remembering their ages. 

“I’d imagine it’s almost bedtime for you three?”

Before the whines could start Wonder Woman held up a hand, “We’re staying at Ms. Bellum’s house. I’ll drop you off then tomorrow we can meet up for brunch?” Looking up in the air, she hummed at the splotches of sunset that tried to shine through, “Ms. Bellum mentioned that crime goes down when it isn’t sunny or raining.”

“We could have a picnic!” Bubbles was still amped up, whether from the fight or from the prospect of brunch with Wonder Woman and her awesome girlfriend remained to be seen. 

The girls slowed as they neared a white house with three obscenely large windows. Blossom nudged her sisters and the three sets of puppy dog eyes rounded onto the woman. Diana let out an exasperated laugh, already giving in, “Went right with the big guns, huh?” 

Buttercup nearly cackled at her words (and just barely held herself together, lest the triple puppy dog routine fail) and Bubbles batted her eyes, “Did you want to meet our dad?”

“Only if it’ll be quick. Heroes need sleep too,” She raised her hand as if to poke Buttercup’s nose, recognizing a second too late that the girls didn’t have any. So, internally screaming the whole time, Wonder Woman poked where the tomboy’s nose would’ve been, using her best ‘role model’ voice as she added, “ _Especially_ when they aren’t even in grade school yet.”

Letting the lump in her throat pass when the girls didn’t seem to notice her near faux pas, Diana let herself lower until she stood on solid ground. She strolled to the door, the girls zooming into their windows and through the house to open the door for her. 

Their father was half seated on the couch when the door opened, his brows raising and a smile spreading his face at the sight of her. “Well, well, well,” He stood and set the paper down, reaching forward to shake her hand, “What a wonderful surprise. I didn’t know we had any more heroes coming to visit.”

“ _Pro-fess-or_!” Bubbles hovered near his shoulder and enunciated each syllable, her blue eyes worried. “That’s Wonder Woman!” Blossom’s words were practically a hiss, her face horrified at the prospect of the man not recognizing exactly who was in front of him. 

Snickering at the girls’ disbelief, Diana shook his hand, “I’m Diana. It’s quite nice to meet you, Professor…?”

He took the invitation, “Professor Utonium. I’m their father.”

“Well I didn’t want to keep them out too late. It is a school night.”

“Were you planning on staying?”

“I have a room at Ms. Bellum’s. We’re here to help with this recent influx of crime. But I wanted to get them home and in bed.” Grinning at the three pouts aimed her way, Wonder Woman added, “No need to rush when I’ll be here at least a week, you know?”

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, “Plus with brunch tomorrow we’ll have plenty of time to chat, right?” The girls giggled at her words and she murmured to the Professor, “Brunch at around two? I saw a sign that there’s apparently a half day at school tomorrow.”

He nodded and Buttercup butted in, “Could we get a picture? I was gonna ask earlier, but…”

“Sure thing. They’re not holding up any routine, Professor?”

“Nope,” Adjusting Bubbles’ pigtails, he held out a hand as Blossom handed him his cell. “Only dinner then bed.”

He paused, taking in the near half foot that the superhero had on him. Chuckling, he handed Diana the phone. Bubbles sat on Utonium’s shoulder and Blossom rested her cheek atop the Amazon’s hair. Hugging Buttercup with one arm and angling the camera with the other, she snapped a picture. 

Blinking away the spots in her vision from the unexpected flash, Diana glanced at the screen. Her face lit up as she showed the family, “Oh this is a good one.” Quickly sending it to herself, Diana handed the phone back to the Professor and sent a copy and a few emojis to Zee. She noticed as he blinked at the sight of the magician as her screen saver, but he didn’t think much of it so Diana didn’t either.

She clapped her hands once and glanced at the clock as Blossom stealthily hid her yawn behind her hair. Blue eyes met the Professor’s, knowing smiles curling their lips. Her phone vibrated again and Diana shot forward a few feet, stealing a quick group hug with the sleepy trio. The Powerpuffs squeezed back and she murmured into their hair, “See you three for brunch, at the park where we met. Goodnight and sleep tight you three.”

“Night, Wonder Woman!”

She waved at them as they sleepily flew upstairs and nodded once at the Profesor. He let her out with a calm smile and, taking a breath, Diana took as high in the skies as she could, spotting Ms. Bellum’s house from just underneath the clouds. It was a fancy beacon of light and marble in the midst of the forest and Diana sighed again. A tan hand pulled out her phone, checking Zee’s three messages: 

_Just got in. Sara’s already set a room up for us (left bottom floor)._

_Townsville’s even weirder than I remember and she’s kinda rich. How does the mayor’s asst have her own butler???_

_If I’m asleep wake me up when you get here._

Her brows furrowed but she nodded at the last message, timed not even thirty seconds after she sent that picture. Shaking her shoulders the Amazon sped up, easily ducking to the left and smiling at the sight of the door ajar, propped open with one of Zatanna’s gloves squished underneath the panel. Like all the times she snuck into the magician’s apartment, Diana tore off her boots first. 

She floated in and quickly undressed, not announcing her presence at the sound of her girlfriend in the shower. Deciding to surprise her, Diana shimmied out of her costume and into one of the spare nightgowns. Wrapping a robe the best she could (damn her wide shoulders, blessings as they were) she snuck into the hallway and fumbled her way to the kitchen. 

Blinking as she noted the sheer amount of juice that Sara apparently kept, she settled on two bottles of peach juice (and made yet another note to have Bruce find out where to buy them) and padded back to her room.

The shower was still running and Diana sighed as she lazily slid off her robe and fiddled with her nightgown’s buttons, listening to the sound of Zee humming as she finished up her shower. As much as she would’ve liked joining in, the Amazon was tired. Fighting talking chimps, organizing and planning contingency plans and kinda sorta avoiding Bruce’s calls about the status of sending AWSM home (and trying to stay serious when his frantic texts implied that Valhallen asked him out and Clark wasn’t _any_ help with advice) really took a lot of a lady. 

At least Ms. Bellum certainly lived in style. With the gorgeous view and her generosity with her extra clothes, it really didn’t feel any different than spending a night in a hotel. Add in the fireflies and the bright stars without Townsville’s light pollution and the whole night had an air of whimsy.

Feeling like she was in a Disney movie, Diana let the curtains shut and spun around in her nightgown, delighted at how the frilled hem fluttered at the move. Flying up until she could go en pointe without actually balancing or putting weight on her toes, the Amazon mimed a ballerina’s twirl. 

Giggling at how frilly she must have looked, her eyes were bright as she turned to the opening door, not once stopping her spinning. Zee paused against the door frame, a languid smile trying to stretch her lips as she toweled her hair, “You’re getting used to Townsville well.”

Diana noted the beginning of dark circles under her eyes and heard the nearly imperceptible hint of emotion in her voice. Nothing too heavy, but certainly uncomfortable enough. She took a deep breath; there were two pressing issues but she wasn’t sure which to start with. 

Letting the air out of her lungs slowly, she bit her lip as she spun again, feeling Zee’s eyes on her even as the magician made her way to the bed, “You wanna talk about it?”

“Do we even need to?”

Clicking her tongue, the warrior ended her spin and met her mystic’s gaze. Zee’s eyes leisurely watched as her lover jumped into bed, both of them bouncing at the move. She immediately curled up into Diana’s arms, pressing a kiss to her collar. It didn’t take a genius to piece things together so Diana took the easier of the paths, bluntly murmuring, “Utonium was the fling?”

Gods above, the princess _sucked_ at keeping the laughter out of her voice. Zee rolled her jaw at the undercurrent in her girlfriend’s voice. She buried her face further into the Amazon’s shoulder, “Shut up.”

Diana felt the embarrassed smile that was growing along her skin and let her fingers drum on the mystic’s thigh, “Was he at least good?”

A long pause. Then, “Yeah, wasn’t too selfish. Finished me _twice_ actually.”

A choking laugh, “You’re telling me _that guy_ got you off?” Diana shook her head and raised her free arm, smirking down at her muscles and how the nightgown fit her body, “Damn, what a glow up.” 

“And here I thought you were humble,” Zee hid her snickers along the Amazon’s chin, sighing as she was pulled closer. Diana ran her fingers through her loose curls, taking out the few tangles as she did so. 

The sound of Ms. Bellum’s white noise maker echoed through the ventilation, the whale songs mournful and haunting. Swallowing at the mood they set, the words slipped out before Diana could really think of them, “He saw your face on my phone. Why didn’t he remember you?”

“It was a one night stand, Babe,” Cuddling closer, Zatanna’s hands fiddled with the buttons on the back of Diana’s nightgown. Decorative, really; she popped them in and out of place as she thought back to her younger days, “I only really remember that we kinda passed out and I woke up to his monkey sniffing my foot.”

Another long pause, in which Zee could practically _hear_ Diana’s brows furrowing, “That a euphemism, or…?”

Zee snickered, the sound sputtering out as she settled with rolling her bottom lip between her teeth. Sighing, she mumbled out, “Bruce gave me Townsville’s files to look over.”

That got a snort from Diana despite the rapid shift in topic, “I’d be stunned if he didn’t.” 

That got the princess a lazy pat on her thigh, “He’s just a workaholic.”

“Takes one to know one, Miss Zatara?”

The magician snorted, not arguing with the label, especially when it came to her shows. But she wasn’t done just yet. She kissed the column of Diana’s throat, lazily tangling her fingers at the base of her hair. Humming at the lazy groan her act caused, Zee trailed her kisses up to just underneath the warrior’s jawline. Strong arms came up to fiddle with her sleeves and the words impulsively rushed out of Zatanna, far too fast for the Amazon to butt in to ask questions, “I don’t know if you’ve met any of the villains yet but Mojo Jojo is either the very same monkey or a clone.” 

There was a quiet beat and Zee hid her face in her lover’s neck, feeling as Diana took a deep breath. She ran a tongue over her teeth as she moved with the Amazon’s chest, rising and falling once, twice. They steeped in her words for an impossibly long minute, the seconds seeming to pass by slower than usual. 

Finally, after far too long, the Amazon spoke, “Next time we’re bringing the Powerpuffs to us instead. New York, LA, even Gotham if we must.” Her words were more a command to herself, a reminder to remember that Townsville was labeled as _off_ for a reason. As petty as a reason it may be, but a reason nonetheless.

She sunk into the bed and pecked Zatanna’s temple, humming softly, “Agreed?”

“Yep.”

Ms. Bellum’s noise maker turned to the ‘rain’ setting and Diana’s eyes shut. She didn’t really want to deal with what she’d been told just yet, not when it was nearly midnight. So, accepting that whatever mood they’d nearly created was gone, she kissed Zee’s head again. 

The mystic cooed and cuddled back, entwining their limbs the best she could. Grinning against her lover’s hair, Diana took a guess about what kind of lights a lady like Ms. Bellum would have. Pecking Zee’s still damp head one more time, she firmly slapped the magician’s ass twice, closing her eyes as the lights shut off. 

Zee went completely still in her arms, her sapphire eyes opening in the darkness.

A second in, Diana roughly swallowed the air in her throat. Two seconds, the magician pressed her lips to her love’s collarbone, her lashes slowly sliding shut. Five seconds, they broke. 

All the way across the house, Ms. Bellum was curled up in her bed. Surrounded by silk, the noise of a thunderstorm and the peace of mind that came with a safely protected city, she slept soundly. Her face covered with her sleeping mask, Sara’s brows furrowed and she turned in her sleep as wheezing laughter floated its way into her room. 

\--

Ms. Bellum was already gone when they woke up, an apologetic note taped to the outside doorknob. Something about the Mayor, a jar of pickles, and the Gangreen Gang getting into a copyright battle with a dill company. 

Shaking her head as Diana finished reading the note aloud, Zee rubbed at her eyes and squinted at the sheer amount of natural light that the house had, covering her face and her bedhead with a pillow. 

The Amazon giggled as she leaned down to peck her love’s hairline past the pillow's edge, “You awake?”

“Let me sleep.”

“Didn’t know jetlag still affected you,” She paused as Zee’s groan of “I knew I forgot _something_!” filled the air. Patting the mystic’s back Diana glanced at the clock, drawing out her words, “Buuuuuut it’s almost one.” 

“Hmmmm?”

Answering Zatanna’s wordless question, Wonder Woman sat next to her, running her hands through her tangled curls, “We got brunch with the Powerpuffs at two.” A pause as she scratched at the magician’s scalp and massaged behind her ears, “I told them that we’re dating. They’re probably in a tizzy to meet you.”

“They better,” Rolling until she was on her back, Zee sleepily blinked up at her lover. Diana was slightly haloed in the apparently-noon sunlight and she beamed a lopsided, lovestruck grin up at her, “I’m gonna wow ‘em with magic.”

The princess laughed at the confidence in her words, fondly taking in the hint of excitement that always overcame Zatanna whenever she was about to do her shows. Showing off her magic, stunning the crowd, feeling that thrilled hum of excitement just before the finale of every trick; that love of showmanship was as plain as day on her face and Diana fell more in love every time she saw it.

She leaned down and stole a quick kiss, snickering as Zee tried to kiss back but couldn’t hold her yawn. “I’m gonna shower,” Her navy eyes were warm and she tucked a messy lock of hair behind the mystic’s ear, “You wanna join me?”

Zatanna laughed, the sound turning into a breathless sort of yawn, “We can’t be late to brunch.”

“We’ll finish in time.”

That was enough of a guarantee for Zee; she chuckled and held up her arms, pressing a warm kiss to Diana’s cheek as she was picked up and carried to the bathroom, blankets and all. 

\--

Zatanna hummed as they flew through the air, laying her head on Diana’s shoulder as she got as comfortable as possible in the warrior’s arms. Which was especially easy as they both were dressed down to keep attention off them. Sure, she still had her wand tucked away in her flannel and Diana’s bracelets were hidden by the hoodie, but they looked regular enough.

Landing near the base of a large oak tree near the park’s edge, Zee jumped down and grabbed her love’s hand. They strolled through the park for all of a minute before three voices called out into the air, “Wond-- Diana!” 

Looking up, the two women caught sight of the girls, frantically waving as they flew a few feet above their father and the picnic spread. He waved at them with a jovial smile on his square features, his pristine lab coat practically blinding in the light. 

The magician blinked, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of him, so radically different from the last time they had met. Diana’s hand twitched around hers, the warrior’s confusion obvious. She tugged Zee an inch closer, “Don’t want him to know who you are?”

Zatanna’s gaze flicked to her and she let out a heavy sigh and a nod, shaking her head and rolling her shoulders as she painted a smile on her face. The very same smile that she reserved for her shows, wide and bright but with a slight, oh-so distinct lack of genuinity behind her eyes; troublesome, since they were only meeting the girls for lunch but Diana would ask about that later. 

“Professor! Professor! Look, it’s her!” Bubbles was tugging on her father’s coat as he stood up to introduce himself. Before he could Blossom zoomed up in front of the magician, “Hi.”

“Hey there,” Zee grinned at her, warm as she noted Buttercup and Bubbles inching closer. The mystic opened her arms and the girls piled on for a hug, the force making Zatanna yelp as she was nearly lifted off her feet. 

Diana laughed and clapped the professor on the shoulder, “Good to see you again.”

“Likewise. So that’s…?”

“Zatanna. She’s my partner and another Justice Leaguer.”

He nodded and stepped forward, chuckling as his daughters reluctantly pulled away from the hug. “Nice to meet you, Zatanna.”

“The same to you, Professor.” Diana’s lips quirked down at that showman’s smile again, but the little family didn’t notice. Instead, giggling over her sisters’ shoulders, Bubbles whispered to her dad, “She’s Wonder Woman’s girlfriend!”

“I know,” He pointed his thumb behind his back to where the picnic table and their brunch was waiting, “I hope she’s also a fan of monte cristos.”

Zee shrugged and winked at the girls as she and Diana took a seat, holding back any concern she had over how this would go. But between the Powerpuffs’ excited questions, the Professor truly not seeming to remember her and Diana taking over the story-telling, she started to relax more and more. 

She leaned against her girlfriend’s shoulder and jumped into the conversation, conjuring up some easy magic tricks to make the Powerpuffs’ faces go slack with awe. They seemed particularly amazed whenever she pointed to their food and commanded, “Sehciwdnas, etativel!”

Professor seemed none the wiser and just as Zee was finally able to completely relax, a shadow fell over the table. 

“Sorry for interrupting,” All five looked up as Ms. Bellum suddenly appeared, a lazy smile on her face. She seemed less on edge since Wonder Woman arrived, glad that most of the trouble had been kicked out. 

“But the Mayor needs to know the plan with Miss Zatara’s magical shields. Particularly with the police and arranging where the checkpoints need to be.” She looked apologetic, “Some of AWSM are back and fumbling to find some hidden convicts in the forest, so we need to be careful.”

“So you have to go now?” Buttercup’s lips were curled in a frown as the two heroes stood. Before Diana could reassure them, the mystic stepped in. Placing an arm in front of her lover’s stomach, she winked at the Amazon and turned back to the little family, proudly putting her hat back atop her head. 

“Don’t worry, folks,” Zee gave the girls a cheesy grin and winked, “We’ll be here all week!” She punctuated her words with a flourish of her hand and a rabbit jumping out of her palm. She wrapped her free arm around Wonder Woman’s waist as Ms. Bellum and the Professor snickered. 

For her final act she conjured up a ray of sparkles that exploded like fireworks, the embers forming Wonder Woman’s logo as they fell to the ground. Diana’s groan of disbelief was a wonderful backdrop, as was the girls’ awed gasps of surprise.

Utonium chuckled at the theatrics and took a sip of his lemonade, “Don’t let us stop you two. The girls will keep things calm while everything gets settled.”

\--

Even when on vacation and having most of any free time devoted to kissing the love of one’s life, there’s nothing quite like being in a new place to appreciate the monotony of one’s usual life.

The villains of Townsville weren’t all that evil compared to the ones she had faced in the past. But, truly, consider this: 

What was Ares’ influence compared to the entitled reign of Princess Morbucks?

Could Cheetah’s cunning possibly surpass the Gangreen Gang, now the legal proprietors of Vlasic?

Would Evil Superman ever pose as much of a physical threat as the one and only Fuzzy Lumpkins?

Exactly.

Zatanna didn’t completely agree with her not-quite-a-theory-not-quite-a-comparison, but Diana figured it was good enough for now. And why wouldn’t it be? She had Zee and a city to protect and three young heroes to mentor and train. She figured she could have some fun with it.

But one such monotony she missed was Bruce and Clark. The trinity was only a phone call away but the spontaneity of their interactions was gone. She missed that on its own, but _especially_ with the inevitable drama that would be Bruce and Valhallen going on a date, as well as finding out whatever Clark and E-Male had been getting up to. 

So with the Powerpuffs in school, Sara with the Mayor and Zee curled up half asleep in her arms she gave the Justice League a call. 

Her screen flashed with the Justice League symbol, briefly turning her mind to whether or not they’d ever actually designed a JLF logo, but the thought left just as quick as it came. 

The inky black of his cowl and his signature square features greeted her and Wonder Woman grinned at the Bat through the screen. Rather than start with the updates or file contents like he wanted, she teased, “Hey, B. Gone on any hot dates lately?”

He blankly stared at her and she stared back, her lips shaking as she tried not to smile. She knew him well enough to know that he raised a brow, gruffly ignoring her question, “You’re taking a vacation?”

Zee snorted against her collar at his avoidance. Diana kissed her temple, snickering as she said, “Something like that. AWSM all gone?”

As if waiting for his cue her favorite guitarist drawled out, “Heeeey Wonder Woman!” 

The blond was all smiles as he popped up on screen next to the Bat. And while Bruce’s face was stoic as ever but Diana knew better. And, admittedly, it wasn’t all too hard to spot when the Dark Knight didn’t force anyone to move out of his personal space, as touchy as he was. 

Glancing from the god’s hand on B’s lower back and then up to their faces, she beamed at the god, “Hey Valhallen. You making sure Bats doesn’t end up _too_ grumpy?”

Bruce turned back to her phone’s files, pointedly ignoring her. Valhallen kept chatting, casually leaning on the counter and affectionately grinning at his brooding boyfriend, “He lightened up a bit once AWSM left.”

Zatanna popped her head up, blinking at Valhallen through the phone, “Obviously not _all_ of ASWM.”

He both heard and saw the smile on her face and laughed, “Yeah. Well I know bats can’t resist a good concert, right?”

Wonder Woman’s smile was infectious, “Concert for one?”

Still looking over the files, Bruce piped up, “Just as likely as a private magic show.”

Zee buried her face in her love’s hair, failing to hide her snickers as Diana and Valhallen laughed. The Amazon drummed her fingers on the mystic’s thigh, “He gets a date and now he’s got jokes.”

“I wouldn’t say _a_ date,” Valhallen lightheartedly implied, not so subtly knocking his boot against Batman’s. Sure, spending nights alone going over files and flirting as they downed coffee after coffee wasn’t the true picture of romance, but it worked. And, really, staying up all night for a concert and staying up to finish piecing together a case really wasn't _all_ that different. Flipping his hair over his shoulder, Valhallen boasted, “Clark and I even got him to agree to a double date.”

Zee looked up, her cheek resting against Diana’s, “Think you could convince him to a triple date?”

The blond perked up at her suggestion and Diana hummed in agreement. Giggling, the mystic added, “We can go to the carnival!” She pecked the Amazon’s cheek, “You’d absolutely win me more stuffed animals than everyone else.”

Valhallen snorted at her shameless attempt at trash talk and bit his lip, failing to hide his smile at her words. Bruce gave her a pointed look as he continued to go over the files, not dignifying her teasing (or acknowledging Diana’s snickers) with a response. 

“Anyway,” Pausing to let out the rest of her laughter, Wonder Woman hummed, “We’re thinking about heading back soon.”

Valhallen piped up, “How are the girls?”

He grinned at the wide smile that brightened Diana’s face, “They’re doing great actually. We’ve been teaming up and I’ve been training them a bit more.”

“If you’re heading back Big Ben’s probably gonna stop by in a week or so. He’s just cleaning up London for now…” He trailed off, his brows jumping behind his hair as the thought came to him, “You know, the Powerpuffs’ would probably love Gotham.”

Bruce clicked his tongue, glancing over Diana’s report on the girls, “They’re kindergarteners, Val.”

Grinning at the nickname slip, Diana added, “But they’re more than capable of protecting themselves _and_ having fun sightseeing.”

“Plus,” Zee’s gaze blatantly flicked between Batman and Valhallen, “The Powerpuffs are all about pastel clothes and modern cities. Put them in Gotham and I think opposites absolutely attract, don’t you think, Love?”

“Oh, _absolutely_.” 

Valhallen grinned at them, leisurely adding, “Don’t forget that some of their villains are pretty similar.”

“What do you mean?”

He peeked over Bruce’s shoulder, skimming the report. The musician tilted his chin towards the screen, “You meet Sedusa yet? I think Ms. Bellum fought her once.” Nodding to himself that his recollection was probably right, he shrugged, “She’s _a lot_ like those GC sirens that B deals with.”

Valhallen paused, humming in thought, “They’d probably get along like death metal and headbanging.”

Bruce watched him for a moment, making a note to investigate that particular line of connection later. He rolled him jaw, quickly adding Sedusa’s name to Townsville’s file, “We’ll deal with that once we have more information.”

The god leaned a palm on the counter and grinned, “I can check it out for ya, Babe.”

Batman scoffed and Diana’s brows furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“When Big Ben goes to Townsville I’ll go with him. Visit the girls, check up that everything’s A-OK, all that usual stuff,” He nudged Bruce’s shoulder with his, “I won’t be gone long, if you wouldn’t mind me hanging around Gotham for a little while after.”

Zee murmured against her girlfriend’s tan shoulder, “Bold to ask him in front of us.” Diana bit the inside of her cheek and whispered back, “B needs a kick in the ass in the romance department, Love.”

The whites of his mask flicked to their faces, “We can still hear you.”

Two voices immediately shot back: 

“I hope you can!”

“He’s trying to be your emotional fiber, B! Let him through!” 

The men paused and Zatanna cackled at the princess’ choice of words, rolling on her side and muffling her giggles with the pillow. Before they could really ruminate on just how serious her words were Diana held the phone high over her head. 

“We’ll see you two in a few days, then,” Diana winked at Bruce, “Plan that triple date for us, B! We’ll bring you back a postcard!”

“Diana--”

_Click._


End file.
